Things You Can't Be Taught
by MusicRocks807
Summary: Oroku Saki may have prioritised his role as Sensei over his role as father, but along her journey with the Hamato clan, Karai discovers there was plenty she had never been taught. Luckily, there are people out there that are more than willing to help her learn. WARNING: Potential triggers for those who have experienced abusive households/relationships. Rating changed to M.
1. Chapter 1

**Technically, this is set after 'Casey Jones vs The Underworld, in that it accounts for everything that happened prior and not anything after, since nothing else has aired yet. But since a new episode's meant to air in, like, five days, my canon could be jossed pretty quickly, which is why I posted it now instead of waiting 'til I'd finished the whole story as I planned.**

**Also, first TMNT multi-chapter fic. So, yeah, that's a thing :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any version/incarnation of TMNT, otherwise I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. I would, you know, be making the rest of Season 3. OMG WAITING IS KILLING ME.**

* * *

She was everywhere. No matter which way he turned, which way he swung, the clash of metal on metal told him she was present. It was a type of fighting he recognised from Raphael: inescapable.

Only, this was still very different to Raphael's style. She wasn't just in front of him, she was _in front of him_, a few inches closer than she needed to be. She didn't just stand behind him, she _stood behind him_, breathing down his neck and leaning into his shell. Her body curving over his back was all he could think of, even as she pressed her sword to his throat from behind. The intoxicating scent of her that lingered after her departure and the memory of her velvety voice stood out beyond the small fact of the matter that she had thrown a knife at his head. _Above_ his head. It was above his head, to help him beat Snakeweed. No matter what Raph said, Leo knew.

He could see that little hint of goodness hidden beneath her dark exterior, the small glint of genuine delight as he had grabbed her hand to stop her reaching for her weapon.

Nobody had believed him at first, of course. And by the time they did... Things just got worse.

And now, he was searching. Scouring the city from his rooftop position, praying silently that he would see her. New York City was big, but not infinite. Eventually, he would find her. _Unless you're too late, _he thought, bitter yet fearful.

She used to be everywhere. Now, he just hoped she was _somewhere_.

* * *

"Almost there..."

Baxter Stockman flew to a different table in his laboratory, vials clasped in his fingers, for once able to see a benefit in his grotesque fly mutation. He darted from here to there in the room using his wings with much more speed than his old legs could have granted him.

"_Almost there_..."

When a furious hiss echoed through the room with a sickening _bang_, Baxter's eyes flicked over to the thick glass cage nearby. The wall that faced him was spattered with blood and venom, with several broken scales gathering in the sticky substance. The mess was stomach-churning, but not as much as the creature creating it. She shrieked and thrashed, slamming herself into the walls of her cell repeatedly. He wondered briefly which of her confines she was trying to break away from.

Carefully, he measured out each of the vials' contents, then paused. He hovered uncertainly, before combining the liquids in a beaker. The mixture fizzed, bubbled, frothed... then settled. The fly-human waited anxiously for a few moments, confirming that nothing was going to explode or catch fire. Once he was certain, he inspected the chemical. It was darker - redder - than the orange substance he had seen before, but he knew that it would work on Karai's unique DNA.

He seized a syringe and filled it with his creation, pride swelling in his chest at his accomplishment, and relief flooding his system with the knowledge that Master Shredder would finally be satisfied with his work. For once, he would not be punished for his failures.

And, on a personal note, once Karai was cured, he would be free to pursue his _own_ retro-mutagen.

Baxter flew to the glass wall, syringe in hand. Karai had apparently given up on her attempt at freedom for now, curled in on herself in the corner of her prison. He pressed a small button on a control pad beside her cage, and a pale blue mist began to seep into the container. Within minutes, the volatile serpent girl was falling unconscious, becoming a slump of scales and flesh on the floor.

"Come on, Karai. Prove my genius..." If he could grin maliciously as a fly, he would have.

Another button on the control pad slid away the glass wall before him, allowing him access to the mutant. He buzzed closer, then pushed the needle into her neck. The sedative had stilled her, so she didn't struggle. He watched as the syringe's contents depleted, flowing into her bloodstream. When it was empty, he removed it, then exited and sealed the cell.

Karai's serpentine body twitched slightly at first, then more violently. She appeared to be convulsing, though he knew she was not conscious. Her scales began to shed, piling up on the ground around her, and her skin soon followed. It was disgusting to observe, yet oddly fascinating. Her body twisted and contorted, reverting back to its original form.

Yet he kept watching calmly. And at last, he saw something other than gross, bloody horror. Karai was sprawled on the ground, a human once more, though Baxter felt strange looking at her unclothed form. However, this had been planned for. He retrieved one of Karai's standard black jumpsuits from a box that had been sent to the lab months ago in case of this scenario.

"Stockman."

The fly-man jolted, still unsure of how a man so heavily armoured could be so silent.

"Master Shredder," he greeted him, for once anticipatory of his boss's arrival. "I have perfected the retro-mutagen for your daughter." Baxter gestured proudly to the cage.

Oroku Saki - the Shredder - stepped closer, staring at his daughter. Memories of the life he had given her, away from the monster that was Hamato Yoshi, rushed through his head, and he smiled beneath his kabuto.

"Karai..." The man stroked the glass that separated him from the girl he called his child, then turned to his servant. "Stockman, bring me her uniform and... _release _her."

Baxter obeyed, handing the jumpsuit to his master and opening the wall again. The Shredder held the fabric for a moment, before turning to Baxter. "Your presence is no longer required, Stockman."

Recognising the threat between the lines, Baxter attempted a bow and hurriedly left the room, leaving Saki alone with his daughter. He lifted the girl into his arms and examined her, checking for injuries and finding less than he expected. In fact, the worst injuries she had obtained appeared to be from repeatedly slamming herself into the wall in an effort to escape; red welts and bloodied bruises littered her randomly, though thankfully her face wasn't too bad. Traces of her signature make-up were smudged into her skin, and her hair was still sticky with gel.

"Welcome back, my daughter," he sighed, holding her limp form close. He knew she had the blood of his arch-enemy, but she was the last reminder he had of his beloved Tang Shen, and he refused to let go of that memory. Removing the front of his kabuto, he placed a tender kiss on her lips.

Wordlessly, he dressed her and carried her back to her old bedroom.

* * *

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Casey Jones lifted his head from the journal in his lap, glancing around quizzically for the source of the noise. Finding an unsurprising lack of things making noise in his bedroom at three A.M, Casey climbed out of bed and left the room, slinging a baseball bat over his shoulder in preparation.

The hallway was empty, with dark shadows shifting over the walls. He listened carefully, then followed the noise down the hall to his sister's room. Resolve steeled, he readied the bat and flung the door open. His fourteen-year-old sister was pacing laps around her room, fiddling with her patchy purple hair worriedly.

"Angel?" Casey balanced the bat against the wall as he closed the door behind him. "What's up, kid?"

Her eyes widened guiltily. "Uhm... nothing, Casey."

He raised an eyebrow. "Then how come you're pacin' round your room this late?"

"I just..." Angel shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

Casey walked closer to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Look... I get it if, y'know, the invasion thing is still messing with your head a bit..."

Angel chewed on her lip. "... I guess, yeah. Something like that."

He wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in an embrace. "Are you ready to tell me what happened to you yet?"

While his father had been taken to Dimension X with a lot of New York's population during the Kraang invasion, Casey knew that Angel had somehow managed to remain hidden within the city. He suspected she had found at least one ally, but she had yet to mention them.

"I..." She cuddled into him. "I don't know. It's still kinda... _weird_, like, to think about."

He murmured thoughtfully. "That makes sense. I feel strange thinking about it, too."

"You hid with mutant turtles in a farmhouse," she said with a giggle. "It's obviously gonna be strange to think about."

He put a finger to his lips. "Hey, remember you're not supposed to know that. And anyway, the guys aren't so strange to me now I'm used to 'em. I might introduce you someday."

She beamed up at him. "That'd be really cool!"

"I can't promise that, though," he told her, before adding, "But hey, you can totally meet April someday. She's human - well, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Long story that I can't explain without permission." He smirked. "Sorry, Angel."

"It's okay." She pulled away from the hug and sat on her bed. "I know some freaky stuff I can't tell you, too."

"Do you now?" he asked, trying to act nonchalant and hide his fierce curiosity.

She nodded confidently. "Mm-hmm. But don't ask, 'kay? I swore not to say anything to anyone about her."

Casey tilted his head. "Her?"

"Nope. No way. Not telling." Angel clambered back under her duvet, smiling cheekily. "I _swore _that I wouldn't." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "But I'll ask her if I can tell you next time I see her. If there is a next time..."

"What do you mean _if _there's a next time?" Casey inquired, kneeling on the edge of her bed.

Angel fidgeted with the duvet. "I haven't seen her in a while. During the invasion, she just... like, vanished. I mean, she did that kinda often, but I could always find her. But one day, she said she had to meet someone, and then... she just never came back."

"Seriously?" He ran a hand through her hair. "That must've been hard on you."

"Suppose so..." She lifted her head to smile at him. "But you guys beat those aliens pretty soon after that, so it wasn't so bad. I just miss her..."

He hugged her again. "I can imagine. After all, I was hiding out in a farmhouse for months missing _you_."

"I missed you too," she replied honestly. "I'm glad you're back, Case. I'm glad we're all safe now."

"Me too, Angel." Casey petted her head. "Goodnight, kid."

"Goodnight..."

Casey grinned at her as he picked up the bat, turned off the light, and shut the door. Alone in the darkness, Angel allowed herself to frown again. Casey's presence had been soothing, but it hadn't eased her fear. She fretted for her lost ally, wishing she had some way of knowing if her friend was okay.

She waited a few minutes, ensuring that Casey wasn't planning to return, before slipping a hand under her pillow and gripping the item concealed there. When the young girl managed to fall asleep, it was with the slim snake scale curled within the palm of her hand.

* * *

**Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I didn't wanna stretch things out too much and make it feel forced. Hopefully, chapters will get longer as the story picks up more.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading, and please review so I know how terrible this surely was :P**


	2. Chapter 2

"Dad, I'll be _fine_! I _promise_!"

April O'Neil smiled at her father as she hugged him goodbye. "I'm just visiting the guys; I'll be perfectly safe."

"I'm just worried after what happened with those Kraang aliens, April, sweetie." He stroked her head. "Are you sure they're defeated? They came back last time."

"They're _gone_, Dad," she assured him. "The guys beat them for good this time, we're sure of it."

He sighed. "Okay, I trust you, dear. Just... be safe."

"Of course." April embraced him again before snatching her jacket and dashing out of the door.

She hadn't been allowed down to the lair in ages because of her father's paranoia and PTSD, and she was missing her friends deeply, especially considering the months she'd spent living with them during the invasion. Being separated from them felt bizarre, but it had taken this long to convince her father that it was safe to leave the house without him.

The teenager wove her way through the crowds on the street, until she felt it was safe to climb down into the sewers. Taking care not to step in the sewerage surrounding her, April made her way through the dark tunnels she knew so well. It didn't take her long to find the entrance to the familiar lair, and happiness flooded her.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted merrily, waving.

"April!" cheered Mikey, dashing over to envelope her in his arms. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

She chuckled. "It's been about three weeks, Mikey." But she hugged him tightly regardless.

"So," April leaned back, but let the turtle keep his arms around her frame, "where is everyone?"

"Uhm..." Mikey let go of April to count out his points on his fingers. "Don's blowing stuff up in the lab, Splinter's meditating, Raph's practising in the dojo, and Leo's sulking in his room."

"Is he still upset about her?" asked April.

Mikey sighed. "Who, Sensei or Leo?"

April swallowed. "...Oh."

"Yeah..." The orange-clad turtle forced himself to smile again. "But we'll find her soon, I'm sure of it. And Donnie's been trying and trying to find a cure for her, so it'll be fine eventually."

She patted his shoulder. "Nice optimism, Mikey."

He grinned. "Thanks!"

April followed Mikey to the couch, settling herself beside him to watch the _Super Robo Mecha Force Five_ VHS currently playing. They sat together for the length of the episode, Mikey excitedly narrating everything that happened on-screen as if April didn't understand it. She presumed he was just enjoying having someone to chill with that wasn't brooding or obsessing over anything.

By the end of the episode, Raph had emerged, his skin sticky with sweat from his work-out. "What're you guys doing?"

"Watching SRMFF!" chimed Mikey eagerly.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Mikey, that show's terrible. And you've already seen every episode about ten times."

"Yeah, but Crognard isn't on," the turtle whined, pouting.

The older turtle smirked fondly at his younger brother as he wiped sweat off his brow. "Have fun with that, April." He disappeared soon after, presumably to wash off.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there watching the show with Mikey, but it was nice to take a bit of a break from all the stress and worry that had been plaguing them lately. They laughed for far too long at jokes that weren't really very funny, simply because it was relaxing just to laugh with a friend.

After a while, Mikey ejected the VHS tape and dragged her by the wrist to the kitchen. She laughed and questioned him, but merely leaned casually against the counter as he opened the freezer.

"Hello, Ice Cream Kitty," he cooed to the mutated cat. She purred and batted at him, dabbing ice-cream on his face. "Can I have an ice-pop, please?"

April giggled at the turtle's antics, before spying another turtle lurking in the doorway and adopting a gentler smile. "Hey, Leo. Feeling okay?"

The blue-clad turtle cracked a half-smile. "Yeah, I'm... fine. Just a little tired."

"You gotta stop with the all-nighters, bro," Mikey advised him gently.

Leo nodded tiredly. "I know, I know." He sighed. "I'm just... concerned. She could be anywhere, guys, and she needs us."

"Leo." April gripped his shoulders. "She'll be fine. Karai's a tough girl; there's nothing out there that could take her down."

He took a deep breath. "I really hope so..."

Out of the corner of her eye, April noticed several minute little slits in Leo's fingers that his hand-wraps weren't quite covering. She didn't need to be a genius to work out how he got them, but he awkwardly elaborated anyway, "I, uhm... I've kinda had her sword out a lot lately. Thought it would be... I don't know, lucky? Whatever. It hasn't worked. It just..."

"Comforts you. I get it." The girl smiled as kindly as possible. "When my dad got mutated, I found that sometimes just looking at his old watch or notebook helped make me feel a bit better. Like they're there with you, right?"

Another sigh and nod. "Right. But she's not, April. And... She needs to be. She _deserves _to be. From what she told me and what I can assume... April, there isn't anyone I'd wish that life on, least of all someone who was forced into it their whole life."

April hummed thoughtfully. "I'm not going to pretend to know anything about Karai or her life, but... I can imagine the Shredder wasn't the best parent. It's so unfair - I'm sorry, that was the stupidest thing I could say."

"No," Leo shook his head, "it wasn't, because the whole thing's incredibly unfair. I mean, she could've had a wonderful life with Master Splinter and Tang Shen but Shredder ruined it all." He shrugged half-heartedly. "There's nothing I can do about that, but... I want to fix things for her, I want to give her some semblance of the life she should have had."

"And we will, Leo," she promised. "We're not giving up. Right, Mikey?"

"Right, dude." The younger turtle's smile reached right up to his hopeful eyes. "We're bringing Miwa home."

* * *

Water filled the bath quickly, the Shredder watching from a stool beside it. Karai was nestled on his lap, her jumpsuit and underwear folded neatly on the floor. The mutation appeared to have halted most of her human bodily functions, hence why her make-up was still present and her hair was still styled, though he had decided that a warm bath wouldn't harm her nonetheless.

"Do not worry," he breathed into her ear, despite the fact she was unconscious still. "You are safe with me, my beloved."

Her body was the soft, beautifully-formed shape he had always imagined Tang Shen's would have been, and while his mind knew the difference between the two women, the void in his heart was almost satisfied. An advantage of the sedative's effects on the girl was that it removed the fight Hamato Yoshi had wrongly instilled in her, allowing him to appreciate the girl again.

When the bath finally filled, Karai began to murmur sleepily, wriggling slightly in his arms. He soothed her by stroking a hand down her spine, and Karai was so out of it that she lay back against him again. The man lowered her body into the water and gently washed her, massaging shampoo and later conditioner into her short hair and rinsing it out. He wiped the remnants of her make-up from her face with a flannel, the young girl mumbling in her sleep all the while.

He scooped her into his arms and wrapped a large towel around her as he emptied the bath. After arranging Karai comfortably against the wall, he donned his armour once more and brought her back to her bedroom. The sedative still had the girl limp and unconscious, despite having been introduced to her system just under twelve hours ago. She didn't stir even as he treated and bandaged the wounds she had inflicted upon herself.

Karai's bedroom was sparse and dark, mostly consisting of black walls and crimson carpet. She had a plain black bed with a bedside table next to it, the torn picture of Tang Shen that she always used to carry around resting atop it. An equally nondescript little bookshelf stood across the room, stocked with martial arts training material and some erotica novels, both to be used for "learning purposes". The chest of drawers opposite matched perfectly, and contained many copies of her uniform and armour, along with the few civilian clothes she actually owned. The only things that could be considered decoration were the spare weapons mounted on one wall.

Shredder observed proudly, unable to understand how Karai could have left the life he had built for her willingly.

"No matter, child," he crooned softly, kissing down the edge of her jaw to her lips. "You are home now, and that is what is most important."

He dried her off and slipped her into her black-lace nightgown before tucking her into bed. He bid her goodbye and held a firm kiss with her, stroking the side of her face as he exited.

His armour clicked frighteningly as he walked through the hallways of the converted chapel, any subordinates he happened to pass ducking their heads respectfully and walking past speedily. It gave him a pleasant feeling of power.

Images of Karai flashed through his brain. The young and obedient child he could shape in his likeness. The cocky, confident young woman he flew into New York City. The angry, vengeful look on her face when she learnt the truth about her parentage. The slow fall into the mutagen vat. The frantic, crazy mutant delivered to him in a cage. And lastly, the slumbering girl in her bedroom, who he considered a blank canvas, a clean slate, just as malleable as that innocent little child.

_Your actions have been forgiven, Karai. Now we may work together to ensure that Hamato Yoshi pays for the pain he has caused us._

* * *

_"You're so weird, Leonardo."_

_The turtle turned to her, smiling warmly. "Well, yeah. Mutant turtles tend to be."_

_She laughed accidentally, and his blue eyes seemed to light up at the sound. "I suppose that makes sense."_

_She'd found the blue-clad leader out on a rooftop during one of his nightly patrols, and he had been all too willing to stop and spar. Once they had both tired of the back-and-forth, they had sat on the edge of the roof together to catch their breath._

_"Hey, Karai?"_

_The kunoichi glanced over at him. "Yeah?"_

_"Are you, like... _allowed _to do this?"_

_A quiet chuckle. "Yes, Leo. Shredder tells me every time I leave that he wants me to sit and talk to his arch-enemy's student."_

_Leo huffed. "I guess I asked for that." He looked back at her. "But, I... It's just, my brother Raph - that other turtle you saw, with the red mask - told me not to talk to you 'cause you'd kill me...?"_

_"He's not wrong," she admitted. "I will do, eventually. But..." Karai smirked at him. "I'm not going to now, if that's what you were asking."_

_He nodded once. "Thanks. I appreciate it."_

_"You should do." She winked at him. "The only reason I haven't already done it is because you guys are the most interesting thing in this city so far."_

_"So, what I'm hearing is..." Leo said teasingly, "you're interested in me?"_

_"Currently." In a split second, her blade was pressed to his throat. He blinked in surprise. "But that could change at any moment, so don't push your luck."_

_Leo closed his eyes and smiled fondly. "Message received and understood." When he opened them again, she was gone._

* * *

**I hope I made everyone else as thoroughly uncomfortable with the Shredder scene as I made myself writing it ;) Though believe me, while I'm not sure how much is actually going to be written, implications will get worse... but, y'know, there'll be fluff too. Because, fluff ^^**

**Also, I _was_ trying to get this across but I don't think I managed to, but Shredder's OOC affection towards Karai was supposed to be because he saw her as a little Tang Shen, who he's still in love with. He doesn't actually love _Karai_, but he loved her mother and she's the closest thing he has. Okay? Okay :)**

**Thank you for reading and, if I haven't creeped you out too much, please leave a review xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT, because I am not Nickelodeon. I know this because Nickelodeon probably doesn't have Chemistry coursework to prepare for... sigh.**

**Also, sorry for grossing everyone out last chapter... *shudders* Believe me, that was horrible to write.**

* * *

_"It's not true," Karai whispered to herself in the mirror. She examined her reflection, trying to find anything she could liken to the humanoid rat she had encountered that day. She found nothing, and was relieved. "It's a trick. A ridiculous, foolish trick. You are Oroku Karai."_

_She knew from her training that she should take any opportunity to gain information about your enemies, which was why she had hung around to eavesdrop on the Hamato clan after the battle. While she felt a bizarre sense of smugness about Tiger Claw's defeat, she had remained stoic as she listened from her position behind a billboard._

_They had called her Hamato Yoshi's daughter. The rat had claimed it was up to her whether or not she accepted the truth. That stupid redhead remarked that she was a witch, and that she couldn't understand how she could be related to Yoshi._

_Well, she wasn't. She knew she wasn't. She couldn't be. She was Oroku Saki's daughter, and nobody would ever tell her otherwise._

_"Lying, dishonourable..." Her fists shook at her sides in rage. "How dare they?!"_

_She had considered consulting her father about it, but had turned against the idea because she knew it would pointlessly infuriate him. She knew the truth, and they wouldn't throw her off. They wouldn't. She wouldn't let them._

_A scream tore from her throat and she punched the mirror so hard it shattered. The glass shards cut her hand open but the blood dripping from the wounds calmed her, strangely. A single, jagged crack sliced her reflection's face in half like the yin-yang symbol, and her features scrunched up in displeasure. The scorned woman glared into her own eyes for an indefinite period of time, simply unable to do anything else. Pain throbbed in her hand, head, and heart, and suddenly it all became too much._

_Karai collapsed in a heap on the floor, her body shuddering with violent sobs. She pressed her head into her knees and cried furiously. She cried because they were trying to make her question her roots; she cried because it was working. She cried because she wanted to believe Leonardo wouldn't do this to her, but she cried because she knew he had every right to once she declared them enemies. She cried because she wanted someone to comfort her, and she cried because she didn't know who she wanted. She cried because she was weak enough to cry. She cried because crying helped, and she hadn't done it in so long._

_And once she ran out of tears to cry, she scrubbed at her eyes with her uninjured hand and retrieved her emergency first-aid kit from her bedside table. She bandaged her hand carelessly, only bothering because she knew she would need to clean up any blood that dropped. Exhausted emotionally, physically and mentally, the girl tidied the mess her outburst had left behind, already preparing an excuse about breaking the mirror during a kata. Hopefully her punishment wouldn't be too bad if he could see she had already caused herself injury._

_Despite her father raising her in a secluded Japanese mountain range, Karai was fully aware that teenage-girls had a stereotype of emotional breakdowns, but she had never experienced one quite so earth-shattering before. And she was praying to her lost mother that she never experienced one again._

* * *

"Angel?"

The girl ran to meet Casey at their apartment's door. "Are you going out already?"

He nodded. "Yeah..." He lowered his voice and whispered, "Leo's going insane trying to find someone, and he wants to search as much as possible, which means we gotta go out earlier."

"Aw, that sucks." She pouted.

"I guess, but hey, at least this way there's a better chance I'll get to bust some heads tonight," he commented with a grin.

"You're so freaky, dude," she giggled, hugging him goodbye. "Have fun busting heads, bro."

"Not even necessary to say, sis." Casey squeezed her shoulders. "I'll be back sometime after midnight, so don't wait up for me, okay?"

"... I'll try not to," she finally replied.

He sighed. "Thanks, kid. But c'mon, you've got school tomorrow; you gotta get some sleep."

"You have school, too," Angel pointed out.

"Yeah, but my duties as a vigilante are way more important."

"Uh-huh. 'Cause when you're applying for jobs and stuff, you can just say 'I failed my exams, but I'm a vigilante', and they'll hire you right away."

"If they've any common sense, yeah they will."

Both siblings laughed, before Angel hugged her brother again. "Be careful and all that."

"Yeah, yeah."

With that, Casey called out a quick farewell to his father and slipped out of the door, fully armed with all of his make-shift weapons. Angel was still proud of the crazy things that her brother had built all by himself, even if she wasn't thrilled by how frequently he threw himself into danger.

The rest of her night was relatively normal, including tossing and turning until well past eleven P.M attempting to sleep but worrying about her brother. When it was clear that sleep wouldn't be arriving any time soon, she carefully crept into Casey's room next door. Originally, she had been searching for an old jacket or something to calm her nerves, but when she spotted his leather-bound notebook tossed haphazardly onto his desk... she couldn't resist.

Casey had first presented the book to her after the alien invasion, because he wanted her to have an idea of what happened below the city's radars so she had a better chance of protecting herself. Ironically, she had learnt a lot from her temporary alliance during the invasion itself, but she didn't tell Casey anywhere near how much because she had been sworn to secrecy. Being sworn to secrecy was very exciting.

But while Casey had told her lots and lots of interesting stories, she knew for certain that he hadn't told her everything. Normally she would respect his privacy and his choice, but she was curious about something. He had complained constantly about these searches Leo was making them go on, but he had yet to say _who_ they were searching for. Casey _had_ briefly said that it was his friends' lost sister that their father's arch-enemy kidnapped, but he hadn't given her a name, and that was what Angel desperately wanted to know.

And that was why she sat there, flicking through the pages of her brother's handwritten journal. She felt the urge to just sit and read the whole thing cover to cover, but she knew what she was looking for. Finally, she found notes about 'Master Splinter' having a lost child named 'Miwa' who 'The Shredder' kidnapped as a baby, and later pages told of her accidental mutation. Though eventually, after much skimming and scanning, she discovered what she had expected.

When this so-called Shredder kidnapped the girl, he renamed her Karai.

_"Who... are you?"_

_"My name's Angel... I'm lost."_

_"As am I..."_

_"Well, maybe we can be lost together then? What's your name?"_

_"... I don't know..."_

_"You don't know?"_

_"... I used to be called Karai."_

Casey's amazingly good artwork definitely helped, because the sketch he had done was almost identical to the Karai Angel remembered. Except, of course, less scaled. The young girl carefully studied Casey's description of Karai's mutation, which was disappointingly vague since he hadn't been present. The focus of his writing was mainly how the family was coping and reacting, which was interesting enough, but she wanted to know how and why it happened.

_"You... You don't want to stay with me, Angel..."_

_"Why not? You seem nice enough."_

_"I... can't control it well..."_

_"Control what?"_

_"Can't you see?!"_

_"No."_

_"... I'm a freak."_

_"That's not true! You're not freaky, Karai."_

_"You know nothing about me."_

_"I know I like you. And that you remind me of Casey."_

_"Casey...? Look, I'm a mutant snake... It's taking all of my strength to stay in this hybrid form currently."_

_"Well, you must be pretty strong then. But I don't think it's weird, Karai. I think it's actually kinda cool. And anyway, I feel like I trust you."_

_"You really shouldn't."_

_"Oh, well. I do a lot of stuff I shouldn't."_

She nibbled the end of her ponytail musingly as she read, thoughts buzzing in her head. A particularly sad page in the book detailed why Karai had actually left her; she didn't trust herself and felt she was losing sentience. She had met with what should have been her family to say goodbye to them for good.

And now, her brother was out searching for the girl his sister owed her life to, without having any idea about it.

"Maybe I should tell Casey..."

"Tell me what?"

Angel's head shot up guiltily, to see her older brother stood in the doorway. He had obviously just come home, because he still had the horrifying skull painted onto his face and was still armed with his weapons.

"Why are you reading my journal?"

"I..." She took a deep breath. "I was checking to see who you were searching for."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because I thought it might be Rai, and it was."

She motioned for her brother to come closer and sit beside her on the bed, which he did. "I want to tell you what happened during the invasion," she told him. He nodded solemnly. "At first, I got lost in the chaos, and I was really confused and scared. After a few weeks, I found an old warehouse, and I met a really interesting girl..."

Casey listened intently as she described the six months she had spent with the serpentine girl, only asking questions that would be beneficial to the search. Yes, they had moved to Coney Island quite quickly because less Kraang patrolled there. Yes, Karai had explained about mutagen and the fire from her childhood, but no, Angel had not received any names. Yes, Angel told her about him and the secret missions he used to go on, but Karai had never mentioned knowing him. No, Karai hadn't left any clues as to where she planned to go.

"Wait, so, when we went to Coney Island to find her, were you there?" Casey asked suddenly.

Angel mulled it over. "I think so, but I didn't know you guys were there. Rai told me to stay hidden in the Spook House, and-"

"Hang on, you were in the Spook House?!" She nodded. "Damn it! Me, Donnie and April went through that place! How the hell did I not find you?!"

"I was under one of the trapdoors, for safety." Angel shrugged. "I guess Rai didn't know you were the Casey I meant."

Sighing, Casey draped an arm over her. "But didn't you hear us? Kid, we must've literally been fighting it out _over_ _your_ _head_!"

"The fighting I heard, but I didn't know it was you. I wasn't even sure if you were alive, and I didn't know any of your friends existed," she explained sheepishly.

"Well… whatever. Guess it doesn't matter now anyway." Casey slung his bag of weapons to the floor silently. "You staying here tonight?"

"Might as well." Angel pushed herself back against the headboard and ducked under the covers. "I was missing you, anyway."

"Aww," teased Casey with a smirk. "Okay, I'll just go wash this stuff off my face; I'll be back in a sec."

The girl nodded, snuggling down comfortably in the meantime. She felt warmer and brighter than she had that morning. After all, now there was a chance that Rai would be okay. And if she could pick anyone in the world to be on the lookout, she'd choose her brother in a heartbeat.

The lights flicked off, but she wasn't scared. He tried this every time. An arm slid around her, pulling her against a familiar warmth. "You're so annoying," she muttered as she cuddled closer.

"We come from the same genes, sis – it takes one to know one."

* * *

**Quick Note: I didn't know what to call the attraction they fought Bebop in during 'The Pig And The Rhino', but the TMNT wikia called it the Spook House, so I went with that. And I've changed Angel's age from 11 up to 14, because I just didn't think I was writing her like an 11-year-old.**

**Also, no, that bit with Casey and Angel at the end wasn't creepy foreshadowing or subtext; that was just kind sibling interaction, okay? ;)**

**Thank you for reading, and please review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT (obviously; I'm writing fanfiction, guys ;P).**

* * *

_Ow._

That one word was all Karai could think of. Well, that and its obvious origin: pain. A dull, throbbing pain spreading evenly throughout her body. It felt like every cell in her body was ripping apart and then repairing, but repairing incorrectly, becoming something it hadn't been before. It felt like her actual body had changed, shifted, since the last time she woke up. It felt like… _mutating_.

Her eyes snapped open in fright and she attempted to leap up, but the action sent such a jolt of pain through her that she physically collapsed to the floor with a cry. She noted various wrappings on her body and wondered where she had obtained the injuries, before noticing something else.

Her skin wasn't scaled. It was _human_.

Ignoring how her muscles wailed in protest, Karai hobbled over to the nearby mirror. Her eyes were their old amber colour, she noted gleefully. Her teeth were no longer fangs. A moment of quiet focus revealed that she no longer had a feral beast tearing from the inside to get out. It was unbelievable. It was impossible. But it was true.

She was cured.

Karai just stared disbelievingly at her reflection, watching as her own lips turned up in genuine joy. Then as they sank, the realisation of where she was ebbing into focus. She knew this room all too well, and she remembered vowing never to enter again. Seems she hadn't had much of a choice.

The door swinging open and banging the wall made her jump slightly, which somehow unbalanced her into toppling down again. Cursing her weak, pathetic body (which she adored possessing so much she couldn't express it), the girl rolled herself into a kneeling position, despite having no idea how respectful she actually needed to be.

"About time you treated me with respect," came the rough snarl of Chris Bradford – or Rahzar, as Karai recalled Mikey insisting.

She glared up at him, but couldn't lift her own weight back up. "I thought you were the Shredder."

His snarl twisted into a shadow of a smile. "Thank you. Now, stand up."

"I don't have to do what _you_ tell me." _And I can't, anyway, _she tacked on as a bitter afterthought.

A clawed hand dug into her shoulder. A shriek of pain slipped free before she could stop it. The mutant yanked her to her unsteady feet, and she fought the tears back as she struggled to stop swaying. Rahzar didn't bother to hide his amusement as he thrust her out of the door, outright laughing when her legs couldn't support her and she fell for the third time.

A clanking sound alerted her to Xever's – or, as she greatly preferred, Fishface's – arrival. "I must say, Bradford, it is most satisfying to see the arrogant girl so… _pitiful_," he sneered in his heavy accent.

"At least I'm human," she spat, without really meaning to. She was surprised by the regret clenching her stomach when his face appeared inches from hers. What was she worried about? He was Xever, for crying out loud! She could take him down with her eyes closed!

_Not when you can barely stand, _chided a voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Leonardo. _Don't do anything stupid, Karai._

For once, she was actually tempted to take Leo's goody-three-toes advice, remaining strong and silent as they insulted and mocked her. She was pulled to her feet again and roughly escorted to the Shredder's throne room. Bradford and Xever took no care in moving her, shoving her carelessly into sharp corners and jutting stones.

When she was certain that every part of her body was damaged in some way, she bitingly snapped, "Would Shredder approve of you two abusing me like this?"

Both looked infuriated, the painful truth that Shredder had done worse to her obvious in their eyes, but their treatment became less violent at the very least. Karai was glad of this; the less ailments she had, the easier escape would be. Not that she was in any state to escape now, of course, with a million minor inflictions and the worst ache she could imagine burrowing down to her bones, but she knew she had to plan ahead.

They arrived at the giant, menacing doors to the Shredder's throne room within a second of her convincing herself that she was really on her way to the execution room. Not that the two were mutually exclusive.

She didn't remember the echoing creak of the doors ever being as intimidating as it was in that moment. The girl wondered if the company she had begun to take to were softening her, and further pondered on whether it was good or bad. As she was marched past the glassy aquarium beneath the walkway, she caught her reflection and winced. Her face looked much worse distorted in the surface, and the assorted marks she had gathered on her journey just emphasized the larger welts they surrounded.

"Master Shredder," Bradford greeted. Karai was thrown to her knees and she squeaked in protest.

The familiar clicking of his armour informed her that the Shredder was standing, and his feet were in front of her within seconds. "Karai, my daughter…" A hand brushed through her hair, and she wished she had the strength to slap it away. Instead, she focused her gaze on the floor, intently studying the various scratches and scrapes decorating it. "Look at me, child." Even if she could lift her head, she wouldn't have done so.

He took care of it for her, angling her head with his fingers beneath her chin. She fought to keep her expression hateful, though her entire childhood screamed to accept the love in his mismatched eyes. Had she been kneeling before him like this a year ago, she would have been huddling closer and apologising for how she had wronged him, desperately craving that loving look.

But now, she knew better. She knew that real fatherly love didn't require grovelling on the floor and begging for forgiveness, though she would gladly do exactly that for her _true_ father if given the chance.

"I… am not… _your_ daughter," she choked out, the effort almost too much.

She fully expected a slap, and was surprised when none came. He chose to hold her quivering form tighter, caressing her cheek. "Why must you pain me like this, Karai? I rescued you from the fire, I raised you from infancy, and I trained you in ninjutsu. What more could I have done?"

"Told me the truth."

There was that slap. The stinging in the back of her head was no bother to her, as she had grown used to the feeling. "You ungrateful little brat! After all I have done for you, you speak to me like this?! You should respect and honour your father!"

"I do." Karai heaved herself up to stare at him. "But my father is Hamato Yoshi."

This time, the impact of the hit sent her staggering backwards, the loss of balance knocking her to the floor again. The Shredder's fingers clutched a fistful of fabric at the front of her nightgown to drag her in, growling in her face, "You will never say that in my presence ever again. Do you understand, child?"

Her lips curved into a wicked smile. "My father is Hamato Yoshi."

His blades extended, cutting into the flesh of her ribs. She winced, but repeated the phrase again. Another enraged smack to the head, though she theorised this one may have drawn blood. Not that it mattered if it had, because Karai repeated the phrase again and again, even as the Shredder grew sick of beating her and ordered his subordinates take her away.

She hadn't the slightest clue how many times Rahzar and Fishface bashed her against objects on the way back to her chambers, but she also didn't care. They flung her on the bed nonchalantly and handcuffed her to the headboard, her arms stretched above her head. It was only then that she realised the window was boarded up from the outside, and the door had extra locks installed on the front.

"You do realise that imprisoning me in here is pretty much the same as in a cell, right?" she commented dryly.

"Indeed," agreed Fishface. "But Master Shredder requested that you stay in the _comfort_ of your own quarters."

"And before you even think about escaping," Bradford entered her view, "everything that could help you has been removed."

The spare weapons that usually lined the wall were gone, and she was sure her additional armour would be too. Her bookshelf had been emptied, and she presumed her bedside table had too. Even the old photo of Tang Shen that she had left on the table was gone, she spotted sourly. Perhaps Shredder had thought it too provoking for her.

After cuffing her ankles to the base of her bed, Shredder's two henchman left laughing to themselves, apparently satisfied in seeing Karai in such an indignant position. The girl scowled even after they were gone, trying to formulate a plan for escape. But the prominent pain combined with the remnants of the sedative in her system made her almost dizzy, and she found herself laying back against the bed sleepily. She had always preferred the floor-level beds in Japan, but in that moment even the bed she lay on felt wonderful. Feeling the deepest of angers at herself and her situation, Karai began to drift off to sleep once more.

* * *

"I just don't understand!"

Donatello whacked his head against his desk in frustration repeatedly, before a gentle hand cushioned the blow. He glanced up to see his father and Sensei stood behind him. "Harming yourself is never the answer, Donatello." He smoothed a hand over his son's forehead. "Now, what troubles you?"

"I… I just can't…" Donnie hesitated. He was struggling to create a retro-mutagen that would work on Karai's special mutation without much luck, but he wasn't sure if he should tell Master Splinter that. Especially considering how much time he had spent meditating to calm his mind over the loss of his daughter. Finally, he sighed, "I can't get the retro-mutagen to work."

Splinter exhaled calmingly. "I see. Do not make overwork yourself, my son. I wish for my daughter's return exceedingly, but not at the cost of your wellbeing."

"Thank you, Sensei," the turtle bowed his head. "But I'm determined to find a cure for her."

His father's hand remained on his shoulder a few moments longer, before Donatello found himself alone again. He groaned as his notes swam in front of his tired eyes again, but he forced himself to concentrate. "You need to help her," he instructed. "Before Shred-head makes that mind-control chemical…"

Regardless of the fact that Karai had stayed in their company less than two days, Donnie couldn't deny the effect her absence was having on the whole family. Splinter and Leo had both been distraught, for obvious reasons, but Mikey's cheeriness was false and exaggerated. Raph had dedicated more and more hours to beating their training dummies' brains out, and Don himself knew that most of his waking hours had been spent trying and testing formulas. Even April and Casey seemed different, though he theorised the former's change may stem from her empathetic abilities. And while they had never met her, they were all well aware that Casey had a sister of his own, which may have stemmed his desire to search.

Thankfully, Leo quite frequently allowed Donnie to miss the searches, as long as April and/or Casey took his place, so he had more time to perfect a cure. But Donnie was certainly not stupid enough to believe he was going to actually make a breakthrough at this point, with the weight of pressure and exhaustion clouding his intelligent mind, which was why he set his head against his desk one more time gently, deciding a few minutes of rest could be afforded.

He didn't stir when Raph picked him up and carried him to his room, nor when his usually abrasive brother tucked him into bed and turned off the lights.

* * *

**Figured I'd add in a cute little bro-moment there, since we won't be seeing the guys next chapter. Also, I think this is quite clearly AU as of Clash of The Mutanimals with the mind control (OMG the last episode though D':), but other than that, I'll stick as close to canon as I can.**

**Thank you for reading, and please review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: If I owned TMNT, the show would never be on hiatus. Also there would be even more fluff ^^**

* * *

Karai wasn't sure how many days slipped by, since there was no source of time-keeping in her former room. All she knew was that, despite the fact that the room had never been too spacious, after however many days she had been chained here, it was positively claustrophobic.

Shredder's henchman came regularly to feed her, which was generally the only time she bothered to wake up. The cuisine hadn't improved from the last time she was held prisoner, but she made herself swallow it down, even with the indignation of needing to be fed by hand since she couldn't bring the food to her own lips. She wanted to clamp her mouth shut and flat out refuse, but she knew it would be counterproductive; if she wanted to escape, she needed to build her strength back up. Although, a part of her dreaded inevitably having to make her muscles move again, following however long they had remained dormant.

Occasionally, the Shredder himself would visit her, often armed with lies he wanted to instil in her and 'fond' memories from her childhood. She supposed he was trying to convert her back to his side, but it wouldn't work. She knew now that her loyalty belonged with the Hamato clan, and he would not say anything to change that. So she ignored the things he murmured to her, and ignored every little touch and kiss. Because he didn't love _her_; he loved the part of her mother that he saw in her.

She tried to pretend it didn't still hurt, but she knew she was lying to herself. Knowing that her life should've been with Hamato Yoshi, and that he would've loved her unconditionally had it, didn't lessen the pain that the man who had raised her had never seen her as anything other than Tang Shen's daughter, and probably never would. The knowledge left her feeling drained and empty, but it was a dull void she was accustomed to.

Her life passing her in drips and drops, however, was not something familiar, and it made her skin itch for adventure, for motion, for adrenaline. That was what she had always adored about life in the Foot clan, the constant action and excitement that came from patrols and training and missions. She'd always hated being on bedrest for injuries because it was boring and uneventful. Now she was trapped until further notice, not even able to stretch out her stiff muscles like the last time she was imprisoned in Foot HQ, and a few days of bedrest from an injury sounded blissful in comparison.

And, as opposed to last time, she didn't even have an inkling of an escape plan yet. Assuming somebody was guarding the door to her room, the window was probably her best escape, though without a weapon she had no chance of breaking the boards or even freeing herself from the handcuffs.

"Karai."

The gruff voice roused her from her slumber, but she frowned at him. "What?"

A slap to her face. "Show some respect, child." Shredder looked her in the eye. "I merely want my daughter back."

"You've never had a daughter," she told him. She'd have folded her arms angrily if she could.

Shredder gestured to somebody Karai couldn't see, and Foot-Bots adjusted the cuffs around her hands so her wrists were only connected to each-other, and she immediately sat up, the muscles down her back sighing in relief.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"I am being forced to lock you up, my daughter, but I will not treat you like a criminal." Shredder placed a hand on the bare skin of her shoulder. "I will escort you to the bathhouse, my child."

"I'm not your child!" she shouted.

"Oroku Karai, stop this nonsense now!"

"I am Hamato Miwa!"

Shredder's blades extended again, this time slashing two deep, narrow slits through her flesh. She screamed, blinking back tears and clenching her teeth. The blood trickled down her skin, the nightgown sticky against her back. Shredder was breathing as heavily as she was, apparently just as surprised by his ruthlessness. He retracted the bloodied blades and swallowed thickly.

"Learn from this, _Karai_," he eventually spat, before motioning for the Foot-Bots to contain her again and exiting the room. The door slammed behind him.

The five Foot-Bots advanced on her, but she smirked. "Sloppy mistake, _Saki_."

She swung her cuffed arms at one of the bots with enough force to break its head off, snatching its katana from its belt as it fell. She cut the chain connecting the cuffs and stabbed a second bot through the chest in a fluid motion. The blade sliced through the chains at her feet, granting her movement. She made short work of the other three bots before they could send an alert, then peered through the door's keyhole. Astoundingly, she couldn't see anybody outside.

She ransacked the room, quickly dressing in the civilian clothes she had used to masquerade as 'Harmony' when she discovered even her training clothes were gone. Her emergency first-aid kit was gone too unfortunately, so she had to leave her back bleeding and sore. But adrenaline coursed through her as she armed herself with the fallen Foot-Bots' weapons. It did not, however, go without notice or abundant hatred that there was still an open box of condoms in her bedside table.

The window had been sealed, but she worked it open with a shuriken. This meant she could slide up the window itself, and the boards were simple enough to remove when she had loosened them with a dagger. Karai was easing herself up onto the window ledge, silently thanking the stars that it was late at night, when the door opened to reveal Rahzar.

"Karai, your father-"

She swore in Japanese, then flung herself off the ledge just in time to hear Rahzar barking orders into a communicator. The girl used the various outcroppings in the walls of the building to climb down, her movements clumsier and jerkier than they should have been but effective nonetheless. When she heard soldiers approaching, she dropped down into the dark alley below, landing better than she anticipated. The girl took off running immediately, trying to keep her footfall silent as she travelled. They were chasing her, she knew it, but she had to block out their voices or she would fall down.

The lair in the sewers flashed through her mind, but she couldn't go there yet. Her hair bounced wildly around her face, not held back as it usually was, and it was weird for her. But she kept running, trying to formulate a plan that didn't involve collapsing from fatigue. She wove in and out of alleyways, attempting to throw them off fruitlessly.

"Give up, cub!" Tiger Claw roared above her.

"Never!" she shrieked at him, diving aside as he lunged at her. She didn't even know where she was anymore, but it didn't matter, as long as she kept going.

"Hey, Foot!"

Karai recognised the voice, of course she did, but she didn't stop running for it. She did, nonetheless, use the split second it distracted her pursuers to dodge into an alley and hid inside a dumpster. Part of her noted it wasn't a good decision with open wounds, but she couldn't change places now.

"No!" howled Tiger Claw, once he realised she was gone. "Foot-Bots, find her, now!" He growled. "You will pay for that, turtle scum!"

"Pay for what?" remarked Mikey's voice.

"What were you chasing?" demanded who she assumed was Leo, though she was still somewhat unaccustomed to his new, deep voice.

Tiger Claw snarled. "That is none of your business, cubs."

Karai listened to the ensuing battle intently, her muscles itching to leap in and join them, though the ache in her back reminded her she could not. It sounded like Leo and his team were losing, until the blue-clad leader ordered Mikey to throw a smoke bomb. From Tiger Claw's outraged cry, she could presume they escaped safely. She peeked through a gap and saw their figures rush past, slipping beneath the manhole cover adjacent to her. Relief and longing washed over her, and she let her head rest against the side of the dumpster.

When Karai opened her eyes again, she felt more refreshed, and she wondered if she had fallen asleep.

"What? Why are you only telling me now, Raph?!" she heard a hushed voice demand.

She squinted through the gap again and saw the masked vigilante with the hockey sticks – Casey, she thought his name was – whispering fervently into his phone.

"Leo said we were searching again tonight – I've been out over an hour! You could've told me sooner!" Raph said something, and Casey sighed. "Well, whatever. I'm out now anyway; I might as well keep looking."

_They're not looking for me, are they?_ Karai thought, nibbling her lower lip.

"But- Fine, fine, whatever. Yeah, _mom_, I'm going home. Chill." Casey hung up the phone and kicked the side of the dumpster.

"Ow!" exclaimed Karai, without thinking.

Casey blinked. "What the…?" He hooked his fingers under the lid and lifted it, revealing a sheepish and dishevelled Karai hiding within. His eyes widened beneath the mask. "No way… You're Karai, right?"

She shrugged, wincing at the pain in her back. "I used to be. I don't know who I am now."

His dark eyes softened, and he extended a hand to her. "Come on, I'll get you out of here."

Karai hauled herself up, grabbing his hand for support. He fixed his arms around her waist and gathered her into his arms, very pleased that she was easy enough to hold. His hand slipped beneath her jacket, and he blanched when he felt the warm blood seeping into his glove. "A-Are you, uh… okay?"

"Shredder cut my back."

Casey carefully tucked her legs around his waist, and she folded her arms around his neck, muttering thanks into his ear. "Don't worry; Donnie'll patch it up no problem."

"No!" she gasped softly. "No, don't take me back there."

She tried to break out of his grasp, but he merely adjusted his hold on her. "Okay, okay, relax. You don't have to go back if you don't want to."

"I want to," she told him, "but I can't."

"Of course you can, Karai." But Casey walked away from the manhole cover anyway, cupping a hand over her head. "But hey, if you don't want to, I'm sure Angel would love to see you at ours."

"Angel?" She glanced up at him.

He nodded. "My little sister. She told me you looked after her in the invasion." He hugged her closer. "And thanks for that, by the way."

She tried to shake her head, but it just made the world fuzzy. "Don't thank me; if it wasn't for Angel, I'd have lost sapience months sooner." Her head lolled into his shoulder, and he smiled. "Oh, and for the record," Karai yawned, "the only reason I'm letting you carry me is because I think I might pass out."

"Go right ahead," Casey assured her. "You can sleep for a bit if you want." He awkwardly mounted his bike, balancing her on his lap.

"No, I-" The girl cut herself off with another yawn. The adrenaline was wearing off, and she was suddenly aware of how tired and hurt she actually was. She wondered idly if they had been administrating a sedative to her regularly. Suddenly, Casey's shoulder was a welcome pillow, and the girl found herself drifting again.

Casey peddled quickly but steadily, taking care not to jolt the sleeping girl he held. He too speculated about some kind of drug, but decided it didn't matter for now. He watched vigilantly, making sure nobody was spying on them. He had texted Raph to ask where they were, and the turtle had told him patrol was off because the Foot were out and about. Needless to say, the teenager was very glad he had gone out anyway.

He secured his bike in the bike rack and took Karai into his arms bridal-style. She was blessedly light, and he carried her and his equipment up the stairs with ease. Upon entering his apartment, he was conflicted. He knew his father was asleep, and hoped Angel was too, but he didn't know what to do with Karai.

Luckily, she was beginning to wake anyway. "Mmm…"

"Hey," he whispered to her, petting her head in the hopes it would rouse her faster.

"Where…?"

"We're in my apartment." He thought for a moment, before adding, "You remember I'm Casey, don't you?"

Karai smirked. "Yeah, I remember. I have an injury, not amnesia."

"Smart-mouth…" he muttered, before walking to his room and laying her on the bed. Upon his request, she disarmed herself and handed him her weapons. He retrieved a first-aid kit from the bottom of his wardrobe and leaned over her, gently peeling away her bloody jacket.

To his surprise, she chuckled. "This escalated quickly. Don't you think you should take me to dinner first?"

He blushed, but continued on to remove the black top, pretending not to notice how it sopped with blood. Lastly, he unfastened her bra, and replied, "Actually, I _was_ planning to get you something to eat after I fix this mess."

She tried to turn to him, but he gently cradled her head, slipping some painkillers into her mouth before he started to clean the wounds out. "Jeez, why the hell were you lyin' in garbage with your back like this?!"

"I didn't have a choice. I had to hide and it was the first place I saw."

"Why were you hiding?"

The girl gritted her teeth. "Because they were chasing me."

"Who?"

"The Foot." Her lips formed a sly grin. "I escaped."

Satisfied that the wounds was clear, Casey began bandaging her. "How did they find you?"

"Shredder's newest freaks caught me, I think. Not long after I left you guys. I'm not sure, my memory's a bit blurry…"

"The warthog and the rhino?" inquired Casey, and she voiced her agreement. "Wow, I thought those guys were idiots. Guess they're better than Rahzar and Fishface, then."

"Hmm." Karai rubbed her arms subconsciously. "I suppose. Though it isn't too hard a task, really."

Casey hummed. "Guess not."

He finished the treatment in silence, then fetched an oversized jersey and some tracksuit bottoms for Karai to change into. "Sorry, I don't have any, y'know, girl-clothes, or underwear…" He trailed off, glancing at the blood-stained bra.

She smiled. "No problem. Thanks for helping me."

"It's alri- Whoa!" Casey spun around, his face bright red. "What the heck was that?!"

"What? You wanted me to get changed, right?"

"Well, yeah, but I wasn't gonna watch you! I was planning to leave!"

"Sure you were."

Casey heard fabric rustling, with a few soft groans from Karai, but he didn't look even after it became silent. Her hand found his shoulder. "Everything okay?"

He glowered at her. "Apart from the _random_ _flashing_, yeah, I'm good."

She winked. "Don't act like you didn't like it."

"I didn't! It's weird!" He sighed in defeat, leading her by the arm to his kitchen. "Whatever. Let's just get you some food, then you can sleep."

"Can't I just sleep now?"

"Hey, you're the one that asked for dinner," he teased.

Aware that his cooking skills were not divine, Casey decided to just whip up a cheese sandwich with a glass of lukewarm milk. Karai had given him and the food a blank stare at first, but her appetite seemed to improve after he glared at her. When she had finished eating and drank the milk, she felt even drowsier than she had prior, and Casey literally had to carry her back to his bed.

"No… You…" Karai struggled to argue, but by the time her head hit the pillow, she was practically asleep. Casey smiled as he tucked her in and ruffled her short hair. She was already slumbering when he left the room.

He washed off the face-paint and found a sleeping bag, returning to his room triumphant. Once he was certain Karai was out of it, he changed into the undershirt and boxers he usually slept in, turned out the lights, and wriggled into the sleeping bag. His arm serving as a pillow, the boy fell asleep with a smirk on his face.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this longer-than-usual chapter :) Thanks for reading, and please review; it really helps to get feedback.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.**

**Also, potential trigger warning for this first bit. Nothing graphic, but disturbing content nonetheless.**

* * *

_A chill tore through Karai's body, and the thirteen-year-old pulled the duvet tighter around her. She didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid. Her father was mad at her – she knew he was, even though he hadn't shouted, or even hit her as hard as he could – but she could just _tell_. His eyes looked angry, despite the fact his voice had been even when he ordered her to wait in her bedroom._

_The door creaked open, and the Shredder stood in front of her. "Karai."_

_She ducked her head fearfully. "Father…?"_

_He advanced on her, and when he stepped out of the shadows, Karai realised that he wasn't in his armour, but in the uniform he wore during their training sessions. She wondered why he wasn't armoured, considering how rarely she saw him in anything else._

_"You understand what you have done wrong, don't you, child?"_

_"It was an accident, father!" Her head shot up, eyes wide. "I promise! I thought-"_

_"Silence!" he ordered. She stopped speaking immediately. "You sent our forces into a village on a search for Hamato Yoshi, and the lead was false! You wasted valuable time that could have been used to train, to bring the Foot clan back to its mastery of ninjutsu!"_

_"I am sorry, father," she whispered, fighting back tears. _

_He slapped her across the face and she whimpered, a single tear breaking loose. "Sorry is not good enough!"_

_The girl bravely raised her eyes to meet his, and something in his expression softened. She was a miniature Tang Shen glancing up at him, and it was pleasing. He gathered her small frame into his arms and held her awkwardly. She took a chance and wrapped her arms around his neck, grateful and relieved when he pressed her against him. The little girl began to cry into his shoulder, and he smoothed his hand down her back under her nightdress, making her giggle at the tickling sensation._

_"Karai, have you been taking those pills I gave you?" he asked._

_"Yes, father."_

_"And have you followed the instructions exactly?"_

_"Yes, father."_

_"And do you still have that box?"_

_"Yes, father. Beside my bed." She quickly picked up the box and handed it proudly to her father._

_He smiled, but there was something unusual in it. "Good girl, Karai. Now lie down."_

_She nodded, climbing off his lap and stretching herself out on the low bed. He set the box aside, then carefully raised her nightdress over her head. Karai grinned at him; this was usually a sign that he wasn't mad at her anymore. He removed her underwear too, but she had to admit she was confused when he began to remove his own clothing. _

_"Father?"_

_"Quiet, my beloved." He undressed faster than she had expected, and turned away from her. She heard the box tear open, but she couldn't see what her father was doing._

_Within moments, he was leaning over her, his body warm and muscled. "Are you ready, Karai?" he questioned, though she wasn't really given much of a choice as he slammed his mouth against hers forcefully. A weird feeling pushed between her legs, and she mumbled for him to stop, or tell her what was happening._

_"No…" she moaned against his lips, trying to wriggle away from what she now understood was entering her. "No…"_

"No... NO!" Karai jolted upwards with a scream, shaking with terror.

She scanned the room thoroughly, curling her body in on itself for protection. The room was dark and unfamiliar, which she found ridiculously comforting; if she was lying on a bed in a strange room, then she probably wasn't in Shredder's lair. The girl still shuddered, though, at the images of her nightmarish memory.

"Hey, Karai?"

She yelped in terror, before recognising it was only Casey sitting on the bed next to her. She took a shallow, staggered breath, and he rubbed her back soothingly. "What's the matter?"

Liquid trickled down her cheeks, and Karai realised with a start that she was crying. "I-I…"

Casey used the cuffs of the borrowed jersey she wore to wipe away her tears, smiling at her. "Calm down, Karai. It was just a bad dream."

Continuing to sob despite her best efforts, Karai shook her head. "No… No, it wasn't…"

"It was," he promised. "You're safe here, honest."

The girl blubbered incoherently, scrubbing at her eyes with the sleeves again in hopes of retaining some dignity. Casey just gave her a warm smile and a pat on the shoulder, guiding her in for a comforting hug when she didn't stop weeping. "Shh, shh…" He leaned in to whisper to her, "Hey, you know what I do when Angel has a nightmare?"

"It wasn't a nightmare," Karai snivelled, "it was a memory. A horrible memory."

He sighed. "I lift her into my lap, then kiss her on the cheek," Casey performed the actions as he listed them, "and I give her a cuddle, then assure her she can tell me all about it if she wants, but if she doesn't then that's fine too, 'cause I'm still gonna be here for her."

Having at last recovered from her crying fit, Karai gave him a watery smirk. "I didn't think you had it in you, Hockey Mask."

"Yeah, well, just keep it on the down-low, alright?" He winked at her. "Can't have the guys finding out."

Karai chuckled quietly, subconsciously reclining against his chest. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, until it occurred to Karai how intimate their position was. "This is insane," she said to herself.

"What is?" asked Casey, wrapping his arms tighter around her.

"The fact that I'm in such close contact with somebody I know nothing about."

"Hmm…" The boy twisted her in his embrace to face him. "Well, I live with my dad and my sister, I play on the school hockey team, and I wanna be either a professional hockey player or a bounty hunter when I leave school."

She grinned. "Fascinating."

"What about you?" he inquired. "I mean, I brought a girl I know nothing about into my home and let her sleep in my bed, then started telling her a bunch about me... Don't you think I deserve some info?"

"Depends on who you're planning to tell," she answered strictly.

He shrugged. "Uh, myself? Maybe my journal, if that's cool with you?"

"Journal?"

"Don't change the subject."

This time, Karai outright laughed. "Fine. The first weapon of my own I ever received was a juji-ken sword, my favourite colour is either black or silver, and I really wish I'd had enough time to get my motorbike when I broke out of Foot HQ."

He raised an eyebrow. "Motorbike?"

"Yeah." She smiled fondly. "I only learned how to ride a few years ago, but I love it. The wind whipping past you, the speed, the stunts… the freedom…" Her eyes met his. "It's exhilarating."

"Huh. Might have to show me sometime."

"If I ever get a chance."

"You know, I'm pretty sure Raph has some kind of motorbike…" commented Casey.

"Yes, and I'm pretty sure there's no chance in hell he would ever let either of us use it," replied Karai dryly.

His lips quirked. "Probably got a point there."

She stifled a yawn with the back of her hand, and he snickered. "Wanna go back to sleep?"

Karai swallowed awkwardly. "I don't think I can," she admitted.

"Uhm…" Casey hoped he wasn't blushing too badly. "Do you want me to, like… stay here with you? In the, uhm… y'know, _here_?"

She would've laughed at his nervousness if the question hadn't made her nervous, too. "I… Would you mind?"

Her eyes widened at the same time as his, so presumably she was just as shocked as him. "Well… No, I wouldn't. I mean, it doesn't have to be awkward, does it? It's just two… friends? Are we friends?"

Karai examined the position they were in. "I hope so, otherwise this really is awkward."

He swatted her head playfully, before lying down with her. She turned on her side so her back didn't hurt, and he gently cuddled her. The girl fell asleep soon, apparently still quite worn out from her earlier escape. Casey couldn't help finding her adorable in slumber, even though he knew she would most likely punch him if he told her. The teenager relaxed against his pillow casually, feeling his own fatigue settling into his bones as he drifted to sleep.

* * *

Casey was well aware that when Karai originally went to sleep it was almost two in the morning, and while he didn't actually check the clock during her breakdown he assumed that must've been around four, but he still didn't expect to wake up at literally eleven to Angel pounding on his door. He could only thank his lucky stars that it was Saturday and he didn't have school.

Karai was still in a deep sleep at his side, his arms curved over her body and holding her close. She had apparently kicked off the borrowed tracksuit bottoms at some point in the night, though thankfully the jersey was more than long enough to cover her up. He squeezed her gently before he released her and opened his door. "Yeah, what, Angel?"

"Dude, it's almost lunchtime!" The small girl flailed her arms for emphasis. "Dad's already gone out, and I've been alone for three whole hours! How were you still sleeping?!"

He ran a hand through his messy, matted hair. "I had a late night, okay?"

"How come?" She tilted her head. "I thought Leo didn't like overworking you humans on patrols?"

"There wasn't even meant to be a search last night," Casey admitted with a laugh, before thinking to add, "Oh hey, but I'm really glad I did, though. Come look at this."

Tugging his sister by the hand, Casey led Angel into his room and gestured to the figure sleeping in his bed. He watched as Angel's wide eyes studied the girl he had recovered home. "Casey… Is that…?"

He smiled. "I found her hiding out in an alley after she escaped from the Foot clan. Brought her home, patched her up, and got her to sleep. Piece of cake." Casey laughed breathily. "But I gotta say, kid, you found someone with your spirit."

She nodded proudly. "I know, right? We got along so well 'cause we thought exactly the same. Well, obviously hers was a little more ninja-y and stuff, but we had the same kind of ideas."

"You two sound like me and Raph," commented Casey casually.

Angel smirked, then leaned over to stroke Karai's head. "I missed you, Rai-Rai."

"I missed you too…" she slurred sleepily.

Both siblings gasped. "Karai? You awake?" Angel whispered.

"Mm-hmm…" she hummed, her eyes still closed.

Within seconds, the talented kunoichi found herself smashed in a bone-crushing hug that her body was too weak and aching to return. Angel didn't seem to care though as she continued to cuddle her lost friend, blabbering about how much she'd missed her. Karai was taken aback, however, when the smaller girl whacked her across the back of the head.

"Ow!" she exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"Abandoning me for no reason in the middle of an alien invasion!" shrieked Angel, scowling fiercely.

Karai heaved her sore body into a sitting position, ignoring the dull pain throbbing through her. A fond smile was etched into her face. "I'm sorry, Angel. I thought I'd kill you; I didn't want to hurt you."

She pouted. "Well, you did." Suddenly, her face lifted. "Wait, how come you're… you know?"

"Human?" Karai guessed. "It's a long story. I'm just glad I have sapience again."

As Angel began to chatter excitedly with a half-asleep Karai, Casey collected the bloodied and dirty clothing Karai had shed the night before and set them up in the washing machine. The two girls were still talking away even after he finally managed to successfully toast some bread and spread butter and jam over it. He would be the first to admit his culinary skills were not fantastic.

"Wow, Ang', I think this might be the longest you've ever spoken to someone without a sarcastic comment," he joked as he re-entered.

Angel squeezed Karai's miraculously scale-free hand in her own. "Hey, I can be sarcastic with Rai-Rai; she doesn't mind."

"I think I would be quite a hypocrite if I did," she teased gently, though she ran her thumb over her friend's knuckle comfortingly. "But no, I don't."

The duo then returned to their previous conversation with ease, and Casey couldn't help noting how comfortable and relaxed they seemed around each-other. He knew his own sister well and was aware that she typically had walls up between her and anyone that wasn't him, and from stories he had heard his impression of Karai was similar, but there was something… familiar about the way they interacted, which made him smirk.

But he did end up interrupting them eventually, with an amused, "Hey, sorry to cut the girl-talk short, but Karai, you might wanna go eat something."

Her lips quirked. "Based on your cooking last night, I don't think I do."

He glared at her. "… Just go eat."

She rolled her eyes at him, but stood wearily and left the room, promising to Angel over her shoulder that she would be back soon.

Throughout the day, Casey found himself surprised at how easily Karai slipped into their daily routine. She bantered casually with them as they ate, watched the television with them, and didn't even use up all the hot water when she showered. He checked over her wounds and re-bandaged them before heading out to hockey practice that afternoon.

Karai raised an eyebrow once she realised Angel was staring at her. "Can I help you?"

Angel gave her a small smile. "I didn't know your eyes were golden."

The young woman felt her heart warm at the little comment, and she extended one arm to her friend. Taking the hint, Angel cuddled closer to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I really have missed you, Rai. I was worried you were dead."

"I'm… not exactly great with apologies." Karai rested her chin atop Angel's head.

She giggled. "No worries; neither's Casey."

"I can imagine. Have you ever met Raphael?"

She shook her head. "I've never met any of Casey's turtle friends - or April, actually. He said he might introduce me one day, but I doubt it." Angel tilted her head up to meet Karai's eyes. "By the way, thanks for telling me about 'em. I always wondered where Casey ran off to at night, since his 'midnight hockey practice' excuse was a load of junk."

"_'Midnight_ _hockey_ _practice'_ was his excuse?" She gave the girl an incredulous look. "I thought he was more intelligent than that."

"…Why?" Angel tilted her head innocently, before giggling to herself. Karai laughed back, feeling blessedly at ease with the girl. She had to admit, after the weeks she had spent imprisoned in Foot HQ, a nice day with a friend was wonderful.

* * *

**Figured I'd add something cute and fluffy in there at the end to make up for the awful beginning :/ Sorry for that, guys, but for the foreseeable future, that's the worst scene I have planned. Okay? Sorry ^^**

**Thanks for reading, and please review :D Also, new episode at the end of the month :) Seriously sick of this hiatus thing though.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, obviously.**

* * *

"Great practice, guys!"

The rowdy hockey players burst into the locker room, slapping each-other on the back and laughing. Casey hung back from his team's revelry, acknowledging comments about his fantastic skill (quite arrogantly, as he was known around his school as a jerk), but he was excluded from the general chatter. For once though, he was grateful, because his mind was elsewhere.

He plugged his headphones into his T-phone and silently changed in the corner of the room, ignoring everybody else. The room had emptied when he next looked up, but he didn't care particularly how much time had passed. His music cut out suddenly, and his phone began vibrating, signalling an incoming call.

"Hey," he answered casually, having seen his home number pop up on the screen prior. "Angel, that you?"

"Absolutely not," Angel replied. She sounded distanced; he could tell he was on speaker phone.

"Why am I on speaker?"

"So I can hear." Karai sounded farther than Angel.

He smirked. "Ah, okay. So, what's up?"

"Just wondering when you're coming home." He heard Karai murmur something, then Angel added, "Oh, and could you maybe pick up a pizza on the way?"

This time, he outright laughed. "Wow. I've known you for a day, Karai, and you're already using my sister against me?"

"I've known Angel longer than I've known you," she pointed out slyly, "and anyway, you were being quite _interesting_ with me last night..."

"What?!" shrieked Angel, sounding horrified.

"It's not like that!" protested Casey immediately, fully aware that denying it made it sound _exactly_ like that. "I was bandaging her back! Oh, and the bed thing was not my fault!"

"I don't want to know," the younger girl said decisively. "Are you gonna get pizza or not?"

"Sure, sure; I'm leaving now. What do you guys want?"

A quiet conference, mostly consisting of Karai stating that Angel should choose because she didn't mind, then, "Pepperoni?"

"Got it. I'll see you guys in a bit."

Casey slung the strap of his bag over one shoulder and was about to leave, when he spotted a smiling green face at the window. Mikey waved eagerly at him, before Raph appeared and shoved him down. Casey's eyes lit up deviously, and he turned back to his phone. "Oh hey," he said, cutting off whatever Angel was saying, "I have an idea."

"There's a first."

He ignored her, "Karai?"

"Yes?"

"I've just seen the guys, and I was thinking. See, my dad shouldn't be back until Monday, so I could bring 'em over and we could hang out and stuff? They'd love to see you, I know it. And we could call April, get you guys talking, and-"

"No!" The exclamation didn't seem enraged, he was surprised to note, but afraid. "No, Casey, please don't!"

"Okay, okay!" He held up a hand in surrender even though she couldn't see. "I won't! Jeez, it was just an idea!"

He could hear Angel consoling her, before she said shakily, "Okay. Sorry. I-I just... I'm not ready to face them yet. If you want me to go, I'll go, but I can't-"

"Don't go!" cried the siblings in unison, though Casey wondered how he cared so much for her so quickly. "Karai, you can stay with us as long as you want," he assured her. "I only brought it up 'cuz I thought it'd be what you wanted."

"You've gotta stay, Rai-Rai," Angel cooed. "I can't lose you again." The phone rustled with static, and he assumed the girls were hugging.

She murmured non-committedly; Angel forced a definitive "yes, I'll stay" from her before addressing Casey, "Just come straight home, okay? We can phone and order pizza delivery."

Karai began to object, but Casey cut her off, "Sure. I should be there before the delivery guy, so I'll pay."

"I hoped you'd say that."

After bidding them both goodbye, Casey checked to make sure he had all of his belongings, and bit his lip. He couldn't think of an excuse to tell the Turtles, but he couldn't patrol, especially armed with the knowledge of its inevitable fruitlessness. "Okay..." Casey had seen them through the back window, and they would never go around to the front of the building in case they were spotted, so they were most likely waiting at the back door. "So, if I go out the front and don't go back like they'd expect me to... That might work."

So he crept quietly out of the hockey rink, tediously pushing his bike a good few blocks before daring to cycle home.

* * *

"Wait... So Casey totally ditched you guys?!" exclaimed April in shock. She'd been aware that he wasn't the _most_ reliable person, but this was bad even for him.

"Uh-huh!" Mikey nodded fervently. "We were waiting for him to get out of practice, and he smirked at us through the window, and then he must've just left!"

She brushed her bangs back. "Did you guys check inside?"

"We checked all over," Donnie informed her. "No sign of him or his gear. But his bike was gone too, so it looks like he left voluntarily. No sign of a struggle, either."

The Turtles had given Casey ten minutes before checking to see where he was. When their search proved useless, Donnie had called April and stayed with Mikey to meet her, while Leo rushed Raph off to patrol anyway because they were "wasting valuable time". Now that he didn't have the invasion to focus on, Leo was becoming frantic about saving her.

Donnie sighed. "His T-Phone's on but he's not answering. I'd ask him in person, but I have no idea where to find him."

"Hmm... Actually, I might know." April pulled her phone from her pocket and flipped through her messages until she found the right one. "A-ha!"

She thrust the phone at Donnie. "He texted me his address a few weeks ago; we had a study session at his place. Don't look at me like that, Donnie. He probably went home to see his sister or something."

"Well, he could've _told_ us..." muttered Mikey grumpily.

"We could go over and talk to him?" suggested April. "Leo won't mind, as long as we keep an eye out for you-know-who."

The brothers sighed solemnly. After so long apart, they were all slowly resigning to the fact that they may never see their sister again.

Patting Mikey on the shoulder comfortingly, Donnie turned to April and said, "Lead the way."

* * *

Angel scurried back to the couch, a heavy fleece blanket over her shoulders and a glass of blackcurrant juice in her hand. She kicked Karai's leg gently, with a, "Hey, budge up."

Chuckling to herself, Karai swung her legs up into a surprised Casey's lap and stretched out on the couch, taking up as much room as possible. Angel frowned.

"This is the most surreal thing," Casey declared. He seized Karai's ankles and dragged her closer. In her surprise, Karai sat up, and Angel eagerly flopped into the space. She glared at him as though betrayed, and he laughed.

"What's surreal?" inquired Angel.

"Having my best friends' sister throw herself across me." He winked suggestively at the kunoichi. "Not that there's any problem with that."

Karai drove her foot into his groin and he doubled over in pain, cussing vigorously at her. When she laughed at him, he pulled her in again and punched her stomach in retaliation. Her fist came up to his head but he dodged, flinging a pillow into her face. Their playful fight kept escalating until Angel swatted them with her blanket and screamed for them to stop.

Casey let out a pained laugh, trying to untangle the blanket he and Karai had been sharing. "You're such a freaking bitch, Rai."

"Thanks." She ran a hand through her dishevelled hair, which hung like a shaggy bob below her chin.

The doorbell rang. "Oh, that must be the pizza guy," chimed Angel, leaping up and bounding to the door.

Casey's eyes widened with alarm, and he twisted around to shout, "Angel, wait!" He would've run to her if he hadn't been prohibited by Karai's legs.

But in any case, he was too late. Angel opened the door wide. "Hiya!"

April O'Neil stood in the doorway.

"Fuck," was all Casey managed to say.

April didn't see the fourteen-year-old girl telling Casey to mind his language, or even the apartment she'd only been in once before. All the redhead could focus on was the girl sat across Casey, frozen in place with shock. Karai recovered quickly though, giving April a sheepish grin.

Half-heartedly, she said, "Miss me, princess?"

"I-I… Wha…?" The redhead rounded on Casey. "Why is she here?!"

"E-Easy, Red! She's on our side now, remember?"

"Yeah, but… Casey, why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you, I don't know, take her back to the lair? Or at least tell the guys-"

Casey tried to catch her, but Karai folded in on herself rapidly, huddling at the end of the couch. He attempted to drape the blanket over her shivering form, but she kicked his arm away and shook her head. Sighing in defeat, he turned to April, "That's why. She doesn't wanna go back, April. Not yet, anyway." This time, she let him rub her knees gently.

April blinked in confusion. "She doesn't want… Why not?"

Karai stared down at her bare feet, studying the scars and callouses on them. The soft blanket concealed them from view, and she allowed herself a little smile.

"I don't know, and I don't care. When – or _if – _she feels ready, she can go back, but until then, she can stay here." He glanced at her, and she nodded; her way of thanking him.

"Uh, okay…" April faced Karai properly for the first time, trying to look friendly. "Hey…"

"Hello." The kunoichi nodded formally.

The awkward silence was palpable between them. Casey bit his lip uncomfortably. Angel, however, seemingly learned how to resolve these kind of moments from her time during the invasion, because she eagerly dragged April over to the armchair by the couch.

"So, do you want a snack or something?" The purple-haired girl smiled at her.

April grinned gratefully at her. "No, thanks, it's okay."

Karai chuckled. "Angel, are you being serious?"

Her hands flew to her hips. "Well, what's your better idea?"

"Hey, April? Can I talk to you for a second?" Casey grabbed the redhead by the arm and led her out into the hallway. He saw Angel slump down next to Karai in his peripheral vision, and smiled as they began to mockingly tease each-other.

"So… Your sister and Karai seem to have hit it off."

Casey smirked. "Actually, they did in the invasion."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Uh-huh. But that's not what I wanted to talk about." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Look, I know you and Karai kinda… _disagreed_ in the past. I get it, it's just… She's really insecure, April, even if it doesn't seem like it. She woke herself up in tears last night. I think she's scared of the Hamatos accepting her again, and I think we can help her get over that."

April nodded. "Okay. As long as she promises not to attack me again."

"Deal." They both jumped at Karai's voice. "As long as you promise not to throw me down any more stairs."

* * *

Leo frowned in displeasure as he surveyed the city. There was no sign of her sleek scales anywhere, no slithering or hissing in the air. The tails of his mask fluttered in the breeze; his katana glinted in the moonlight. He felt helpless, and he _hated_ feeling helpless. He could only imagine how helpless _she_ must feel, and guilt ached in his chest.

A three-fingered hand landed on his tense shoulder. "Leo."

He sighed heavily. "Raph, do you think we'll ever find her?"

The hand tightened. "I don't know, bro. I really don't."

"… This is all my fault." His eyes sparkled with moisture.

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is!" Leo spun to face him. "If I could've just saved her from that damn mutagen vat-"

"Oh for the love of- Leonardo, you can't change the past. There was nothing you could've done, okay?" Raph gripped his brother's shoulders firmly. "You've dedicated yourself to trying to help her – hell, hasn't that been your goal since you met the girl? Don't beat yourself up over this."

The worry lines on Leo's forehead began to ease out. "Thanks, Raphael."

"Yeah, yeah…" Green eyes narrowed. "Just don't mention it again, alright?"

He chuckled. "Sure." His eyes clouded over again. "I'm sorry for forcing you guys out every night like this, I just… I feel responsible. I want to bring her back to Master Splinter. After all, he wouldn't have lost her again if I'd just been able to stop her going back to Shredder."

Raph groaned. "Don't make me go into another soppy spiel, Leo."

"Sorry…" The blue-clad turtle sheathed his katana. "Look, let's just get back to the lair. I think we've done enough for tonight."

"Are you sure? You better not be moping 'round the lair 'cause you feel bad for not searching long enough."

He clapped his brother on the shoulder. "I'm sure." Leo slid out his T-Phone and texted Donatello:

_Donnie, we're calling it a night. Meet us on the corner of Eastman and Laird._

His phone chimed minutes later: _We're waiting outside Casey's house for April. She went to speak to him about why he ditched us._

_Fine. Meet us back at the lair, then._

_Got it. See you soon, hopefully._

_Hopefully?_

_I don't know how long April will be._

_Fair enough. See you._

Pocketing his phone again, Leo turned to his brother. "Okay, Raph; let's get home."

* * *

**So, I think I need to make Raph do something jerkier sometime; both of his appearances so far have been comforting someone. He needs to make some more sarcastic comments :P**

**Thank you for reading, and please review! xD**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. I'm also calling artistic license on banks and hair dye (that'll make sense in a minute), because my experience and understanding of both is quite limited. Thanks for understanding :)**

* * *

"Now, let me see if I have this correct. Your father wishes you to empty your account?"

Karai nodded to the innocent bank teller. "Yes. It's a long story, but he instructed that I come down here in person to collect the money."

"And… he wants you to take out all $15,000 in cash?" The poor woman had no idea what she was unwittingly doing.

"That's right." She offered a convincing smile. "I did call ahead, to ensure such an extraction would be possible."

"I… I suppose I'll go get the paperwork, then." The young woman rose and scuttled off in her high heels. An eventful first day for the new employee.

Meanwhile, the kunoichi turned with her hands on her hips to smirk at April, who was sat fidgeting in one of the old chairs across the room. After a carefully calculated decision that Casey looked too shifty to sit in a bank and Angel looked too young, April offered to accompany Karai down to the local bank. She had found the debit card her father had given to her upon her arrival in America over a year ago hidden in the lining of her jacket, and once she had confirmed via phone that it was still active, she had been eager to get as much money out of it as possible before Shredder thought to cancel it.

When the bank teller returned with a stack of papers and a thick, bulging envelope, it took everything Karai had not to grin manically. _It's a small victory, _she thought, _but at least I'm not down and out._

April was practically bouncing as she and Karai walked down the street. "I can't believe you stole $15,000 from Shredder!"

"Shh!" hissed Karai, but she was smiling. "Don't yell that in the streets, princess."

She blushed. "Sorry. It's just exciting, that's all."

"Well, at the very least, it'll pay for a good few orders of pizza."

The redhead swatted at her teasingly, but felt her heart warm at the fact that Karai was already thinking about her brothers. "Yeah, but we've gotta get you some new stuff, too. I mean, you'll need more than one outfit, and I doubt many of my clothes are going to suffice."

"Uhm… Yeah, no offence, but I'm not really into the whole bright yellow thing."

"I didn't think so." She linked arms with Karai, and was surprised when she didn't pull away. "Although, I do have a little black dress I think you'd like. It's too long on me, and the lace sleeves look weird, but it'd suit you."

"Thanks." The girl squeezed April's arm.

The redhead towed her through the streets, acting casual and natural in a way that Karai couldn't, be it from nerves or lack of recreational experience. They ducked into a small black and red store when Karai panicked because she thought she saw a Foot-Bot, and happened to find a pair of dark jeans and a Fall Out Boy shirt (which amazed Karai, who thought the band were too obsolete to have merchandise for sale in high-street shops). Having made their purchase for a bargain, since the sales-boy took a liking to Karai, the girls decided to go to a café for lunch.

"This place is good," Karai admitted, picking at her sandwich.

"I think anything would be, compared to Casey's cooking," joked April. "Seriously, you should get a medal for surviving that."

"I… don't think that's what I deserve a medal for surviving…" she muttered to herself.

April placed her hand over Karai's across the table. "Come on, don't do that. Don't think about it. Today is just for fun. A Sunday of fun with a fellow kunoichi. No sadness, okay?"

"Got it." She grasped April's hand gratefully.

The day was exactly as predicted; fun and frivolous, though the girls refrained from spending much despite how much money they had in their possession, because they didn't wish to waste any of it. They returned to Casey's apartment with almost as much as they had originally withdrawn, with only several human necessities, some spare clothes, and a box of black hair dye to show for the day.

The hair dye was Angel's expertise. "Self-dying since age eleven, and getting less dreadful every time," she proclaimed proudly, as she draped an old, multicolour-stained towel around Karai's shoulders. "I know what I'm doing."

Karai pushed her wet hair out of her face. "Why don't I believe you?"

Almost two hours later, the bleached portion of Karai's hair was indistinguishable from the rest of her naturally black hair. She washed out the excess dye and smiled at her reflection. It was a small step, but it was another step away from being Oroku Saki's daughter. Donning Casey's jersey again, she blow-dried her hair and returned to the living room.

Casey smirked at her. "Aww, ready for bed already?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Wow Casey, you're so witty and clever. Well done."

April fist-bumped her from the armchair. "Nice one. You know, I kinda like having another girl around to put Jones in his place."

"Hey, if you two ever need a hand with that, you know where I am," joked Angel.

The hockey player threw his shoes at April and Karai, then whacked Angel across the back of the head. The three girls laughed, and eventually Casey joined in, offering Karai a seat between him and Angel. She sat cross-legged between them, grinning at her new friends.

"You know," Karai turned to Casey when he spoke, "I think I like your hair all black."

"Me too," agreed April.

"Me three," chimed Angel.

She chuckled bashfully. "Thanks, guys." She caught her reflection in the television screen in the corner of the room. "I think I like it too."

* * *

The four terrapin brothers emerged from the dojo after training, sweat coating their skin and their muscles aching. Donatello, too exhausted to even put his bõ staff away, groaned unhappily when he noticed his lab door open.

"What's the matter, bro?" asked Mikey tiredly, ever the heart of his brothers.

He sighed. "Nothing, Mikey. I just have to get working on Karai's retro-mutagen again…"

"No, you don't." Leo's hand landed on his brother's shoulder. "Donnie, we haven't seen any sign of her in weeks, and you've been overworking yourself – don't think we haven't noticed. Training was hard today; you should just get some rest."

"Leo, I can't-"

"Donatello. Go to sleep. _Now_."

The purple-clad turtle smirked sleepily. "Fine. Thanks, Leo."

He patted his younger brother on the shoulder. "It's fine, Donnie." He then addressed all of his brothers. "Guys, I'm sorry for becoming so obsessed with the patrols and searches lately. I want to help Karai, but… I was harming us in the process."

"It's cool, Leo." Mikey ran up to hug him. "We all wanna save Karai."

"We just weren't all that obsessed," interjected Raph.

Ignoring him, Mikey continued, "And we're going to, sooner or later. We're not gonna give up, and she won't either."

Leo placed an arm around his brother. "Thank you, Mikey."

"That was very wise, Michelangelo." Approaching as silently as ever from the dojo, Splinter smiled warmly at his sons.

Raph grinned. "Man, never thought I'd hear that."

"I did not expect to be saying it," he admitted with a slight chuckle, "but it was a pleasant surprise. I hope that you will all listen to his words… Leonardo and Donatello particularly." He eyed the two sons in questions. "Overworking yourself will not provide a solution, my sons. I am sure Miwa would tell you the same if she was in a position to do so."

All four of his sons nodded, with a chorus of, "Hai, Sensei."

"Good. Now, the lot of you should listen to Leonardo's advice and get some rest."

When his sons were finally traipsing off to their bedrooms, mumbling and grumbling the complaints they knew they couldn't voice aloud, Splinter walked calmly back to the dojo and knelt in front of the shrine he had built for his family. He examined the photograph of himself, Tang Shen and a baby Miwa, and a sigh escaped him.

"Oh, Miwa…" His eyes watered. "What has become of you, my child?"

He imagined the young woman kneeling beside him, donning her black jumpsuit and silver armour, with her make-up carefully applied and her hair styled back. He remembered the tension in her muscles as he held her, as though wondering whether she had made the right decision. Her arms wrapping around him, the first real contact he had experienced with her in over sixteen years, but nowhere near enough. Then the lithe arms morphed into coils before his very eyes, his lost daughter transforming into a mindless serpent trying to squeeze the life out of him. And though the bloodthirsty look in her eyes was painful, he almost preferred it to the look of horrifying remorse once she came to her senses.

Splinter took the photograph into his hands, watching as small droplets of water fell onto the glass. Lowering his head dejectedly, he closed his eyes and stroked the image.

"Master Splinter?"

He sighed. "Leonardo, I sent you boys to bed."

"I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep." The boy's voice was thick with emotion.

Calmly and deliberately, Splinter dabbed the photograph dry with his sleeve, then placed it back onto the shelf. He rose and looked to Leonardo, standing forlorn on the other side of the room. The turtle was still fully equipped for a patrol or battle, down to the twin katana blades on his back. He smiled proudly at his eldest – technically second eldest, as he refused to give up hope on Miwa – and gestured for him to approach.

"Sensei…" Leo's eyes drifted to the photograph as he walked closer, "I promise we will find her."

The man lay a hand on his son's shoulder. "I wish to believe you, Leonardo, I really do. I hope that she is still out there somewhere, somehow."

"I'm sure she is, Sensei." He smiled at his father. "She is strong."

"She is…" Splinter patted Leo's shoulder. "Now, why could you not sleep?"

"I… I was just worried about her, but I trust her to look after herself." The blue-clad turtle grinned wistfully at the thought of her. "She's intelligent and crafty; she'll be just fine out there. We'll find her in no time, I know it."

He smirked knowingly. "You are still very fond of her, aren't you?"

Leo blushed. "Y-Yeah, I am. I always have been."

"I am aware." Splinter chuckled. "But it _is_ late, Leonardo; you really should rest."

"Hai, Sensei." He bowed. "Thank you for… _understanding_ about Kar- Miwa."

Smiling, Splinter motioned for Leo to exit, and retreated to his own room. Sliding the screen door into place, Splinter sighed again. "Goodnight, Shen," he said to the darkness. "Goodnight, Miwa… wherever you are."

* * *

Stretching his arms over his head, Casey yawned loudly. April had left a few hours ago, to stop her father from worrying, but the hockey player was still sat up with Angel and Karai. The trio were huddled together on the couch, blankets wrapped around them and mugs of hot cocoa in their hands.

"Man... I don't normally like going to school, but tomorrow is gonna _suck_," complained Angel.

Casey blinked tiredly at her. "What's gonna make going tomorrow worse?"

Angel gestured to Karai, sitting beside Casey with her head on his shoulder. "I'm gonna know she's here; it's gonna make it even harder to sit through algebra lessons than ever!"

"All my fault again," the kunoichi murmured half-heartedly. "Sorry."

The boy ruffled her short black hair. "Don't be stupid, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah, we wanna spend time with you 'cause you're fun, Rai-Rai." Angel embraced the older girl tightly, burying her face in her neck. "And nice, when you want to be."

"That isn't often," she chuckled.

Laying his arm around the both of them, Casey laughed. "Well, at least I won't have to lie to April about Rai being here."

"That's true; you're a terrible liar," commented Angel, glancing up from Karai's shoulder.

Casey's response was a very rude gesture in her direction, which Karai smacked him on the head for. "Stop hitting me, you freaking…" She stuck her tongue out at him and smirked.

When Angel began muttering sleepily, both teens diverted their attention to her and smiled warmly. Karai gently shook her awake, and she managed a lackadaisical, "What time is it?"

Karai shrugged. "Late? You should go to bed; you're falling asleep on me."

Angel pouted, which quickly changed to a glare when her desperate glance to Casey provided no support. "I hate both of you."

"No, you don't." Casey picked her up casually and carried the struggling girl to her room without much trouble. "Just go to bed, Angel."

"Why do _I_ have to when you and Rai-Rai get to stay up?" she asked angrily.

"We won't be staying up either, Angel; Casey has school tomorrow too," Karai called from the couch.

The girl broke out of Casey's grasp and dashed back over to her friend, grinning widely. "Are you coming with me, then?"

Casey petted her head. "I assumed she'd be staying with me again."

Angel raised an eyebrow at him. "Right, like I trust you alone in a room with her at night."

"_Angel!_"

"What? It's true!" She grabbed Karai's wrist and dragged her to her room. "C'mon, Rai, you can stay with me tonight."

"I don't have a choice, do I?" she teased playfully, taking Angel's hand.

"Nope!" she chimed cheerily. The girl was already wearing her pyjamas, and her hair was bunched into a ponytail again.

Leaning around the doorway, Casey bid both girls goodnight before leaving them and shutting the door. Both girls huddled together under the blankets, Angel cuddling close to Karai as she had during the invasion. They were both reminded of the months during the Kraang's tyranny, and they smirked fondly at each-other.

"I really did miss you, Rai-Rai," Angel mumbled.

"I missed you too," she admitted.

* * *

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I think you'll either love or hate the next one... Hopefully love :P**

**Thanks for reading, and please review xD**

**[Slight Edit] And yes, I know Fall Out Boy isn't that obscure (thanks to Guest for reminding me to say this), but where I live it's rare to find any of their merchandise and they were the first band I thought of that Karai would like. I have since thought of quite a few others, but oh well.**


	9. Chapter 9

***shocked gasp* Wait, CeCe's updating early instead of late? Are we in Dimension X?! No, I'm just going away this weekend so I'm posting this now instead. This is gonna throw my sort-of-schedule way out of whack, though.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.**

* * *

_"__Don, you've gotta take a break on that retro-mutagen."_

_"__I can't, April. As soon as we find Karai, we have to be able to cure her; we don't know how sentient she'll be."_

_"__Like you'll accomplish anything sleep-deprived and ill-minded."_

_"__Well, I have to try."_

_"… __No, you don't."_

_"__April, I already explained-"_

_"__Karai's already cured, Don. She doesn't need the retro-mutagen any more."_

_"__How do you know? Have you seen her?"_

_"… __Yeah. She's human again."_

_"__She can shapeshift, like we told you guys."_

_"__No, it wasn't shape-shifting; she didn't look serpentine at all. Donnie, trust me on this, you can stop. She's human, and she's safe."_

_"… __I don't know."_

_"__I do."_

That was the last time April had visited the lair. Casey hadn't been since before he found Karai. Neither had been patrolling either, and Karai was the only one who didn't notice, as the next two weeks of her life flew by. She didn't even stop to think about _why _her new friends were spending so much time with her, thoroughly distracted by how different her new life was becoming, the main events were explaining to Casey's father - and later April's, which was much more difficult - who she was and why she was staying with them. Of course, not everybody was living as peacefully as she was.

"Are they bugging you?" Angel had asked Casey one night, after catching him sighing at his phone in frustration.

He had nodded, combing a hand through his hair. "Yeah... I can't even explain why I can't go, Ang'. I might just stop replying."

And he had, as had April eventually. They both knew their actions would come back to bite them, but they didn't quite know how.

"April? Are you okay?"

Karai's voice snapped the redhead back to the present. "Wha- Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, though."

For the last few days, Karai had been staying with the O'Neils, since they'd all decided Casey's dad needed a break from putting up with a strange Japanese girl in his house. Kirby had been hard to convince, but the knowledge that Karai was Master Splinter's daughter definitely helped win him over, as did her willingness to help around the house. When April questioned her on it, she had mentioned a code of honour, and repaying him - and her - for the kindness of letting her stay. April had hugged her spontaneously, then gasped in shock when Karai hugged her back.

Currently, the two girls were huddled together in their sleepwear on April's double-bed. April had been thinking to herself, and completely ignoring whatever Karai had been saying. "Sorry, Rai. I was just… thinking about something. What did you say?"

She shook her head dismissively. "Nothing. What were you thinking about?"

The redhead forced a smile. "Nothing. Do you know what time it is?"

After a quick glance at the alarm clock on April's bedside table, Karai answered, "Almost eleven. Should we go to sleep?"

"Most normal people would," April chuckled.

Karai nodded, then clambered over to the far side of the bed, sliding under the duvet. April turned off the lights and curled up on her side of the bed, bidding Karai goodnight. The situation was still incredibly weird to think about, but after two weeks hanging out together, she was pretty sure the other kunoichi wouldn't attack her.

That was probably why she managed to fall asleep beside her quite comfortably… Either that, or the fact that Casey had informed the redhead about Karai's frequent nightmares, and all in all she felt bad for what the girl must have endured. Whatever the reason, April was clearly relaxed enough around her fellow kunoichi to fall asleep, and that was the important thing.

In fact, she slept for over an hour quite contentedly before a tapping at her window woke her up just after midnight.

Fixing her haphazard ponytail, April cautiously rose and peeped through her curtains. Seeing the silhouette of a giant turtle outside her window elicited first relief, then fear. Though by this time he had already seen her, so she had to acknowledge him.

She climbed out onto the fire escape, hoping that she wasn't making enough noise to wake Karai up. Upon seeing Leonardo sat there, her heart caught in her throat. If he saw Karai, there was no way he would leave. "Hey, Leo…"

"Hi, April." He was leaning casually against the railing, as though he had always been a fixture there.

The girl folded her arms across her chest, uncomfortable. "Uhm… How've you been?"

"I've been doing okay," Leo said, with a deceptive smile. "And don't worry; I wouldn't expect you to know, since we haven't seen you in almost two weeks." He didn't even bother with the smile any more.

She sighed. "Okay, totally asked for that."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why have you been avoiding us? Is it your dad again?"

"I…" April's eyes shifted subconsciously into her bedroom, and widened when she spotted Karai kneeling on the window seat, concealed behind the curtain but obviously listening. She blinked softly, hoping the other girl understood her question. Apparently she did, because Karai nodded timidly. "No, it isn't my dad this time. It's my new friend."

"New friend?"

"Yeah. I met her ages ago, but we've only recently become friends." April walked nonchalantly to the other side of the fire escape; Leo stayed in place but turned to face her.

"Oh." He seemed surprised. "Well, that's… awesome?"

The redhead nodded, trying to hide her smile as she noticed Karai stepping soundlessly out of the window behind Leo. "It really is. She's changed so much; I'm really proud of her."

He inclined his head, smiling at her. "Okay… So, who's this new friend?"

As if on cue, Karai flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him from behind. He tensed immediately, before he glanced down at the pale arms holding him. His blue eyes met April's, and he swallowed thickly. "April… Is it…?"

She grinned at him. "It's her, Leo."

Six green fingers gently stroked the perfectly human ones on his plastron. "K-Karai…?"

A strangled little cry sounded from behind him, and he twisted around to see her. She couldn't meet his eyes, burying her face against his plastron and struggling to keep her eyes dry. He accepted that for the time being, locking her in an embrace and taking deep, steady breaths of her scent. They stood together, clasping each-other securely, until Karai finally worked up the nerve to lift her head.

"Hello," she whispered at him.

He smirked at her. "Hello." Leo examined her face without make-up, her hair without the blonde dye, and her eyes gleaming gold instead of green. "You're human."

"I am." She bared her teeth, showing off that she no longer had fangs.

Leo's lips formed a smile. "Good. You look happier."

Aware that she was third-wheeling in the situation, April attempted to squeeze past them subtly to return to her bedroom. They both noticed her, but neither reacted, too focused on cradling each-other. Karai knew she was taller than him, but somehow she was glancing up into his blue eyes.

"I really did miss you, you know."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really." He rested his head against hers. "It's amazing to see you like this."

"Like what?"

"… Happy."

Karai smirked. "You already said I looked happy."

The turtle shrugged. "Well, it's true. Also… I don't think my brain's really working at full capacity right now."

Her arms rose to around his neck, and Leo's heart faltered as her warm breathing collected against his throat. "I missed you, too," she disclosed quietly.

He crushed her to his plastron, greedily inhaling the smell of her hair and her skin, desiring to kiss every inch of her skin but knowing he shouldn't. She had no such inhibitions, however, and repeatedly pecked his neck, letting her breath tickle his skin. The sensation made him chuckle, which in turn made her laugh. Peering around Karai's head, he made eye contact with April, who was leaving the room holding her phone. She grinned knowingly at him and shut the door, dialling Casey's number.

"Leo?" she asked almost inaudibly. "Can we go inside please?" She glanced around fearfully, as though expecting somebody to attack.

The turtle bobbed his head eagerly. "Sure, let's go in. Someone might see me, anyway."

"Or me," Karai added, ducking out of his grasp and leaping back through April's window.

Leo joined her quickly, taking her hand the second he was near enough and allowing her to lead him to April's bed. The turtle seated himself on the bed, his carapace touching the wall and his legs out in front of him. Karai gladly took her place on his lap, permitting him to clutch both of her hands in his own and play with her fingers.

"Leonardo, you really are weird," she commented with a grin.

"We've been over this, Karai," the leader in blue informed her. "I told you ages ago; it's a mutant turtle thing."

And suddenly Karai's mouth was on his, open and sucking and sexy. It took him a little longer to work up the courage to part his lips, but the second he did, her tongue was slipping inside. She licked everything she could find, including his tongue, which clumsily tried to fight past hers into her own mouth. It was a very passionate first kiss, mostly since Karai had more experience than she liked to remember with kissing, and Leo was more than happy to let her take the reins.

When Karai finally broke the kiss, tilting away slightly but leaving their heads resting together, she was panting much heavier than he was. Leo put this down to turtle biology, but didn't give her a chance to catch her breath before he began stroking little shapes onto her back. She giggled at the sensation, and relaxed against him. Stretching his muscles, Leo reclined casually along April's bed, with Karai curled into the foetal position on his plastron. It was quite possibly the most adorable thing he had ever seen - even cuter than the alien creature in Dimension X, but possibly even more dangerous.

After a short while of contented silence, Leo heard, "Mni nmeem ammovrr."

Chuckling, he glanced down at her. "What was that?"

She lifted her head. "I... I _said_... I need another."

"Another what?"

"Another-"

Then their mouths were together again.

Though this time, Karai seemed more frantic, mashing their lips together forcibly. Leo let his mouth fall open just to relieve the pressure, and Karai's tongue was darting inside again. Only this time, it wasn't exploring; it was _searching_. Ransacking the inside of his mouth, as though desperately trying to find something.

He tried to say her name, to ask her to stop, to ask what was wrong, but he couldn't say anything when his mouth was filled with her tongue.

Quickly, Karai's breathing began to shorten, and it wasn't long before Leo could feel her sobbing into their kiss. Tears trickled down her cheeks and leaked into their mouths. He grimaced at the taste of salt and its origin.

Eventually, her breathing couldn't keep up with her rough ministrations, and Karai had to break it off, though she stayed so close that she was still weeping onto his lips.

He tucked a finger under her chin, tilting her head up. "Karai?"

She licked her lips, and tried to steady her breathing. Another lip-lick, this one clearly more sensual. "Make me happy, Leo." Her tone didn't match the expression she tried to wear. "Make me happy."

"Okay," he agreed calmly.

She gave him a watery smile that he couldn't decipher, and leaned in, placing her hands either side of his head. But Leo had other ideas, seizing her waist and dragging her down to his plastron again.

"What are you-" He cut her off by pressing her against him, wrapping his arms around her.

"Shh... Just relax..."

So she did. Karai lay her head against his plastron, then blushed at the happy little noise it provoked in him. She folded in on herself, and Leo drew his knees up to squash her even closer. A feeling of affection and protection encircled her, and for more than a fleeting moment, she wished she could have that feeling all the time.

The comfort and the time were making her drowsy, but she still heard Leo ask, "Are you happy, Karai?"

She didn't trust her voice to keep her pride, so she angled her face up to him and hoped he could read it well enough. He seemed to, because he smiled brightly and somehow managed to hold her even tighter.

Their faces were so close now that if Karai just inclined her head a little bit, their lips would brush. Barely even thinking about it, she did.

But this kiss was soft and caring. Mouths opened, but tongues refrained from any more adventures. Emotions drove this kiss, and it was as tender and fragile as them. It faded out naturally, though as Karai retreated back down his plastron, Leo theorised that it could've gone on for eternity and felt just as wonderful. He then immediately thought of his brothers slapping him for such a sappy train of thought, and smirked sleepily.

When April finally returned to her bedroom, she found the duo peacefully snoozing. She giggled silently to herself at the sight, watching Leo curve himself around the usually abrasive kunoichi.

Regretfully, she shook Leo by the shoulder, careful not to wake Karai. "Leo, wake up."

He moaned unhappily, eyes still closed. "Why...?"

"You've gotta get back to the lair; Splinter and the guys'll be worried."

"... Yeah, you're right." Leo slowly sat up, glancing down at the girl in his arms. "Can I take her with me?"

April bit her lip. "I don't know... It's up to her, I guess. She didn't mention wanting to go back earlier though, so I wouldn't take her down there fast asleep."

"I'm not asleep," Karai sighed into Leo's chest.

The turtle smiled at her, rubbing her back. "Hey," he said softly. "So, did you hear what we were saying?"

She nodded hesitantly, and when her eyes met his, they were glossing with tears. "I can't go back, Leo."

His face fell, but he held her closer. "Why not? We all want you back, Karai. I... We love you. You're part of the clan, we want you home."

"You do?"

"Uh-huh." A large, three-fingered hand combed through her short hair. "Are you coming?"

He felt rather than saw her head shaking. "I..." Karai's throat choked, and she became all too conscious of April in the room. As if sensing this, the redhead excused herself and slipped out onto the fire escape awkwardly. Karai grinned fondly at her actions, before Leo reminded her of her decision by clearing his throat above her. "I'm scared, Leo," she admitted quietly. "What if you're wrong? What if they're mad at me?"

She felt him stiffen, and pressed against him. "I'm not, Karai, honest. But… if you're not ready to come home, that's okay too." He lowered his voice to add, "Even if I really, really want you to be one day." He kissed her temple. "I don't want to lose you, Karai."

The kunoichi raised her head, then knelt up to whisper in his ear tenderly, "You won't."

* * *

**I realise things escalated quite quickly there, but a) Karai's part will be explained later, and b) I think anyone would act quickly if Fate had screwed them over as much as these guys. Also, I'm sorry if you didn't like this chapter (I know there are some CaseyxKarai shippers reading), but this always has been and still is a Leorai fic, even if there's been like no interaction until now :P**

**Anyway, thank you for reading this chapter, and please review xD I'm not one of those fantastic authors that replies to every review because I'm a horrible human being, but I really do appreciate them and they inspire me to keep writing, so thank you guys :) **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT, obviously.**

* * *

Plans were made.

Karai would stay at April's that night and the next, but on Sunday, both girls and Casey (and Angel, whose attendance nobody planned for, but she refused to stay home and miss it) would meet Leo and his brothers at Murakami's noodle shop after-hours. Karai was at first reluctant to leave at night, but the presence of her friends and brothers convinced her.

Leo had shook his head in disbelief when they explained everything to him, flicking Karai's temple then discreetly kissing it better, demanding that both them and Casey _tell_ _him_ next time they find a lost clan member. They both promised to do so, and Leo left the girls in peace for the night, though he did take a photograph of the duo hugging on his T-Phone as proof and reassurance for his family.

"Leonardo," Splinter sternly greeted him when he finally returned to the lair. "Where have you been? Why did you leave the lair without informing us?"

_Well, _Leo thought, _I guess that's better than Raph's, "Where the hell were you, Lame-o-nardo?!"_

"I went to ask April why she's been avoiding us," he answered calmly, feeling his brothers' stares. "I thought if we all went, it might overwhelm her."

"Then why did you not tell us?" his master inquired.

"Because… I didn't want anyone to come with me, and…" Leo blushed. "I was worried about April; I didn't want anyone to know I was talking to her."

Splinter exhaled heavily. "Leonardo, you know better than to sneak out of the lair like that."

"I know, Sensei." He pulled his T-Phone from his pocket and fiddled with it awkwardly. "Could I speak to you alone for a moment please?"

"… Of course."

Leo followed Splinter into the dojo, trying to regulate his breathing. Once the screen door slid into place and his brothers' faces were obscured from view, Leo unlocked the phone and selected the image. "I saw something… _someone _interesting at April's apartment. I think you should see this." He handed him the phone.

Splinter stared at the phone intently, struggling to believe what he was seeing. "M-Miwa... My daughter..." He reached a finger towards the screen, then retracted it. "My beautiful child... She is human in this image."

"Yeah..." Leo peered over his father's shoulder to admire Karai's smile. "Baxter Stockman managed to cure her; Shredder recaptured her, but she escaped."

"Impressive of her, though I cannot say I am surprised by her skills." His finger again bushed the screen, as though stroking Karai's hair. "Thank you for showing this to me."

"Father, she… She told me she was scared to come home." His words caught in his throat. "She was afraid we would reject her, that we didn't want her after what she did."

Master Splinter sighed sadly. "I understand. Let us hope that Miwa feels ready soon."

"Well, she ran right out to hug me when she saw me on the fire escape," Leo confided with a shrug. "She _wants_ to come back, I know it. I think we've almost convinced her, though; April and I got her to agree to meet with me and the guys at Murakami's on Sunday night."

"Wonderful." A smile spread across his face. He studied the picture intently a moment, then handed the phone back to Leonardo. "Thank you, my son."

"No problem, Sensei."

"You should tell your brothers," Splinter advised, walking over to the shrine he had built for his family. "They will be pleased to hear, I am sure."

"Definitely," Leo agreed with a nod. "Donnie in particular; he's been laying off the retro-mutagen work a bit since April's last visit, but I know he's still stressed. He should be relieved that he can stop for good now."

"I am sure he will be."

The turtle cracked a grin. "Goodnight, Sensei."

"Goodnight, Leonardo. Please ensure that Michelangelo actually goes to bed; it is already late, and he insisted on waiting for you." Splinter picked up the framed photograph on the shelf and turned to Leo. "I presume you find his comments on his exhaustion as _enjoyable_ as I do."

Leo chuckled. "Hai, Sensei."

With that, Leo left his Sensei in peace, exiting the dojo to inform his brothers. Splinter focused on his memory of the photographs, feeling his lips curl upwards at his daughter's contented smile. "Oh, Miwa... You will always be welcome with us. If only you could see that."

* * *

_"You are a disgrace!"_

_Oroku Saki slapped the child across the face. She choked back a cry and her eyes watered, but she tried to speak anyway, "Father, I'm sorry-"_

_"Sorry is not good enough!" Another smack, up the back of her head this time._

_She squealed in pain, covering her face with her hands. "Father..."_

_"Oroku Karai..." The Shredder stalked around the child, staring down at her coldly. "You are an embarrassment to our clan and our family."_

_"I am sorry..." Karai whimpered, fighting back tears._

_He grabbed her by her hair, yanking her head up to look at him. She gasped in pain. Saki examined the long black hair, so reminiscent of the child's mother... _And her father_, he thought. Karai screamed as sharp pain shot through her scalp. A fistful of black locks fell from her father's hand to the floor, a small spattering of blood joining it._

_His hand secured another fistful, and he dragged her ear up to his mouth. "If you cannot act worthily for the Foot Clan," he growled into her ear, "then you do not deserve to harbour so much of your mother's appearance."_

_He ripped the second fistful from her head, followed by a third, and a fourth, and a fifth. Karai stopped counting after a while, just crying and screaming for him to stop. Blood trickled down her neck and dripped on the floor. She watched in horror as the last bloodied tangle of her precious hair hit the floor._

_The Shredder whacked her on her bald, tender head. "Learn from this, Karai. From now on, if I see your hair long enough to pass here-" Karai shrieked as the edge of his armoured glove cut just below her jaw "-I will carefully pull out every piece again." He left the room calmly, as though he hadn't just torn a whole head of hair from a young girl. "Idiotic child... It would be dishonourable to Tang Shen to allow the child to continue in her image," he muttered decisively to himself. He wouldn't have permitted her any hair at all, but he realised after clearing her head that a little hair would be helpful to hold her in place._

_Meanwhile, Karai knelt on the floor, surrounded by her own lost hair. She sobbed profusely, her scalp stinging painfully. Her hair had been that length since she first saw a photograph of her mother; she had been delighted to look so much like the beautiful woman she could never meet. He knew how important it was to her. Anger flared in the nine-year-old girl's chest._

_The hair would grow back. The wounds would heal. But the event would never be forgotten._

* * *

When April woke up in the morning, she could nothing more than smile sympathetically at the indents Karai's fingers had pressed into her arm. The girl was still asleep, though her face was contorted as though in pain, and her knuckles were almost white from how tightly she was gripping April's limb.

"Karai." The girl whimpered fearfully in her sleep; April smoothed out the creases in her forehead with one hand. "Come on, wake up."

She shook her head drowsily, and April ruffled her hair forcefully. Eventually, Karai groaned in annoyance and swatted her away, blinking as she sat up. "I'm awake, okay?"

"I have to get ready, let go of me," laughed April, trying to tug her arm free.

Karai laughed with her, releasing the girl's arm. She shifted the duvet off of her and sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "What time?"

"Sorry?"

"_What_ _time_ is it?"

"Almost ten – get your butt out of bed."

"Ten isn't that late." Karai flopped back down on the bed, smirking.

"Pretty sure that attitude doesn't help ya master Ninjutsu," quipped April, but she was smirking back. "Seriously, get up so I can make my bed."

"Fine, fine, calm down." She crawled out of the bed, tangling the sheets as much as possible, just to tick April off.

It clearly worked; the redhead glared fierily at her. "Man, you are so freaking annoying, Karai."

She set about making the bed again, while her new roommate dug out a pair of jeans, the black tank top she had taken from her old room, and clean underwear. She changed without modesty, unconcerned by April's presence. Feeling uncomfortable, April took her own clothes and underwear through to the bathroom to change, hoping that maybe Karai would pick up an example. When she returned, Karai had already applied her make-up and was brushing her hair.

"Wow, you get ready fast." April grabbed her own hairbrush and started working to untangle the knots in her orange hair.

Karai shrugged. "Life in the Foot was fast-paced; I learned to adapt. Make-up was the last thing I could waste time on, so I'm used to getting it out of the way."

"And yet yours still looks better than if I dedicated a whole hour to mine," April sighed wistfully.

Silence settled between them for a few moments, until Karai hesitantly offered, "You know, I could try to teach you, if you want?"

"… Really?" Her blue eyes widened hopefully. "If you're up for it… That'd be awesome! Thanks, Rai."

She smiled. "No problem. We'll just need to work out your skin tone and stuff first, and skin type."

The redhead groaned. "Jeez, I didn't realise so much work went into make-up!"

"You're seventeen, and you've never used make-up?" inquired Karai in disbelief.

A blush spread across her face. "Not, like, actually. Not the proper stuff."

"Well then," Karai grinned, "we'll just have to fix that, won't we?"

"Can we fix it by tomorrow?" she asked.

Karai fiddled with the hem of her top awkwardly, but she nodded. "Yeah, sure…"

"Oh, hey, I meant to ask: What are you gonna wear?"

Her head shot up, tilted in confusion. "What?"

April started tying her hair back. "Like, when we go to Murakami's. What are you planning to wear?"

"… Crap." She massaged her temples. "Damn. I never even thought about it. I only own some tops and jeans, and training gear… I'm so screwed."

"Actually, I was hoping you'd say that," admitted April giddily. Before Karai could question her, she leapt to her feet and ran to her closet. "I have a dress that would suit you perfectly; it's too long for me, but you're taller."

"Yeah, no offense April, but I don't really think we have the same taste in-"

"Got it!" The redhead whirled around, holding a hangar with a lacy black dress. "See? It'll look great on you!"

Shakily, Karai took the hangar and examined it. "Oh, is this the ne you mentioned the other day?" April nodded. "Weird… This doesn't seem like your style. Why do you even have this?"

"Birthday present," she answered. "My mom's sister, Julie; she hasn't seen me in a couple years."

"Are you sure you don't mind me borrowing it?"

"You can have it, if you want," April said with a smile.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"If you like it, yeah." The girl grinned. "You'll get more use out of it than I ever will, I'm sure. Besides, you might need a formal dress sometime in the lair; you never know."

"April," Karai chuckled fondly, "if it was a special event in a Japanese home, I would need a kimono. But thanks, anyway."

The two girls embraced kindly, all tension from their past forgotten in that moment, holding each-other as though they had never been enemies. April silently marvelled at how far they had come in the past two weeks, from shaky allies to what she would call good friends. The progress truly had been amazing, and she hoped it was setting Karai on a bright path for the future.

* * *

**Okay, I've literally been dying to upload this, but this has been the first chance I've had. I was actually planning to wait until Saturday, but I just couldn't. Maybe Thursday is just my new upload day now, until school screws me over. I don't even know :')**

**Anyway, thank you for reading, and if you feel like leaving a review, that would be great and very much appreciated xD**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT, obviously.**

**Quick apology because I want the end of this chapter to flow with the start of the next; I would've put this chapter and the next as one chapter, but it would've been one _long _chapter. So, a bit of a cliffhanger. Sorry ^^**

**Also, thank you to everyone that's been reviewing, following, favourite-ing, and just reading xD**

* * *

"Right," Angel ran the brush through Karai's short, wet hair, "let's get your hair sorted, yeah?"

The kunoichi laughed. "Ang', you have to be a hairdresser when you grow up."

"Only if you go down in history as a master kunoichi," she replied with a wink.

"Deal."

Angel, Karai and April had all decided to get ready together before going to Murakami's that night. Casey had initially refused, but eventually caved into letting April help him pick an outfit. This left Angel and Karai alone in the room, with the former styling the latter's hair.

"So… Leo, huh?"

Karai blushed at the younger girl's tone. "What about him?"

"Aw, c'mon, you can tell _me_."

"Tell you _what_?" She raised an eyebrow.

"About _Leo_." Angel sounded exasperated. "I mean, if you like 'im so much, you've gotta have _some_ stories to tell."

"Who said I 'like him so much'?" she inquired.

"Uhm, lemme see…" She counted her points on her fingers. "Casey, April, your voice, your body language, your blush…"

"Oh, shut up." Karai smacked her on the arm.

"Alright, alright." She switched on the hair-dryer, and conversation was halted because the machine drowned out anything they could say. Once that section of her hair was dry, Angel turned off the machine and began brushing heat-protection spray through the next part. "But I'm just saying; it's totally obvious how you two feel about each-other."

"Angel…"

"Just a statement, don't kill me."

"Leo and I are _friends_, you're just imagining things. And anyway, you've never even met him," she pointed out.

"I've heard about him," the girl countered, "and in every story you're in he gets all mushy about you."

"No he doesn't, Angel." Karai rolled her eyes. "Leo's just a nice guy."

"He worked really hard to convince you to change sides."

"Like I said, _he's_ _nice_. He'd do that for anyone, believe me."

"I don't."

The hair-dryer flicked on again, and conversation had to pause until the next section of Karai's hair was dry.

"He trusted you so much, though. No way he'd do _that_ for anyone."

"Angel, just drop it…" Karai groaned in annoyance.

"Sorry, I just can't help it." Angel dropped the brush and knelt beside Karai, resting her head on her shoulder. "It's so cute, and you guys deserve your happy ending."

"What?" She lay her head against Angel's.

"Well, I know I don't know the whole story – you don't have to tell me right now, don't worry – but I know some of it, and I just think you guys have earned it, y'know?" she explained with a shrug.

"I suppose." She tucked a lock of damp hair behind her ear. "Leo definitely deserves a happy ending, but probably with someone better than me."

The younger girl wrapped her arms around her. "What do you mean, 'someone better than you'? Rai-Rai, you're awesome!" Seeing the kunoichi about to object, she quickly added, "I mean, without you, I'd never have made it through that invasion. Those creepy brain-aliens would've got me and mutated me. You saved my life, and it was out of your own choice. You could've just ditched me from the start; you were way faster, and you have the whole ninja-thing going for you. You chose to save me."

"You saved me, too," she murmured softly. At Angel's confused expression, she elaborated, "I was losing my sapience following my mutation. With that and the Kraang taking over, I was starting to think there was no point struggling for what control I could. You gave me something to keep fighting for."

"Aww, Rai-Rai!"

The girls hugged each-other tightly, Angel practically climbing into Karai's lap before the older girl ushered her off. "Alright, alright, get off me." The kunoichi swatted her away. "Come on, finish my hair; we've gotta get ready."

"Bossy…" muttered Angel, but she grinned when Karai turned to her.

"Casey, you _cannot_ wear that!"

The accused stormed into the room, ignoring the redhead trailing behind him angrily. "Guys, do you think this is okay?" He gestured to his outfit, which consisted of a shirt with a tuxedo design, and his slightly-less-filthy-than-usual jeans and shoes.

"It is not okay! This is a big occasion!" protested April.

"Everything's clean!" He hesitated. "Or… clean-_ish_, anyway."

"_Clean_-_ish_ isn't good enough, Casey." Her hands flew to her hips. "At least wear a dress shirt, or better pants!"

"That's the closest thing he has to a dress shirt," interjected Angel.

"And they're probably his best pants, too," added Karai.

Casey chuckled in agreement. "Both valid points, Red. _And_ these are my cleanest shoes."

April groaned in disbelief, dropping her head into her hands. "I give up." Angel had rolled the teenager's red hair into curlers while Karai was showering, and somehow April had managed to not to jostle them in the slightest while changing into her yellow one-shouldered dress and kitten heels. To see her standing beside Casey, it didn't look like they were going to the same event.

The sound of the hair-dryer would have made conversation difficult if anyone had tried, but the quartet were comfortable enough with each-other that they could deal with the silence. By the time Karai's hair was dry and tousled lightly with hair gel, April had already drifted to the bathroom to do her make-up. Karai joined her after a few moments, while Angel straightened her hair and Casey argued in favour of his tuxedo shirt.

Less than an hour later, all three girls had finished their hair and make-up and were checking their dresses (or, in Angel's case, her shirt and skinny jeans, because dresses "weren't her thing"), and Casey was impatiently tapping his feet. Karai had already packed the small amount of belongings she had into a duffel bag Casey agreed to lend her, and she was fussing awkwardly with the straps when April patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Karai," she said quietly. "It'll be fine." Her voice lowered as she added, "Remember Leo the other night…?" Karai's eyes widened and her face flushed darker. April chuckled. "It'll be fine," she repeated.

The dark-haired girl smiled gratefully. "Thanks, princess."

* * *

Sheathing his katana swords, Leonardo adjusted his mask again and checked the wrappings on his hands and feet. For one of the few times in his life, Leo wished he had some kind of reflective surface in his room other than his katana blades. _Although_, he thought, _maybe I can ask Karai for her opinion in the future… _He then immediately chastised himself for thinking so far ahead and making assumptions. _She might not want to come home yet… But if she does, she'll have _no_ problem telling me if I look stupid. _He chuckled.

"Hey, Lame-o-nardo!" yelled Raph from outside his door. "We goin' or what?"

The blue-clad turtle grinned, and opened his door. "Yeah, everyone ready?"

Raph cracked a grin. "As ready as we're gonna be… but Mikey'll still find something he forgot the second you say we're leaving."

Leo laughed. "Of course. We're leaving in ten minutes, can you tell Don for me?" When Raph shrugged and agreed, Leo clapped him on the shoulder and strode through to the dojo to tell Splinter he was going, calling out, "We're heading out in five minutes, Mikey!"

"Wait, I'm not ready yet!"

Leo entered the dojo with Raph's laughter echoing behind him. Poking his head around the screen door, he coughed tentatively so as not to startle Splinter from his meditative state. "Master Splinter? We were, uh, about to head out to Murakami's."

Splinter's eyes remained closed, but he hummed in acknowledgement. "Very well. You and your brothers know to bring your weapons and phones – _which must be on_, remind Michelangelo. And to avoid public restrooms."

"Can't promise that last one, Sensei," Leo said with a smirk. "We did once find a Kraang portal in a porta-potty, remember?"

"… Yes, Leonardo, I remember."

The turtle laughed, then composed himself and said softly. "I think she's coming home with us this time, Father. I really do think she'll come back."

Lowering his head, Splinter let out a shaky sigh. "I hope so, my son."

"Me too." Leo smiled at his father. "We'll be back by about, uh…"

"Do not worry, Leonardo." Splinter opened his eyes and grinned at his son. "You all have fun."

"Thanks, Sensei." Leonardo bowed to his father, bid him goodbye, and returned to the pit to collect his brothers.

Donnie and Raph were sat together on the couch, debating why they would/would not need to bring sedation tablets in the medical kit. "Raph, Karai might still be crazy. We might have to-"

"_Sedate_ her? Your answer is to sedate her?!"

"Not as a first resort – just in case!" Donnie argued. "It might be the only way we can bring her home!"

"If the only way to bring her home is against her will, then we're not bringing her home," answered Leo sternly. He set a hand on the purple-clad turtle's shoulder as he said, "Look, Don, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but if she comes back, it's gonna be because she chooses to, okay?"

Donnie nodded. "Okay. Sorry. I just… want her home already. I'm sick of worrying about her out there alone, scared and senile."

"She's got April and the Jones' with her now, remember?" Leo reminded him gently. Donnie had been a worrier ever since they were kids, occasionally fretting himself into a panic attack. "And I saw her two days ago; she's sane now, Donnie. She's… back to normal. She's human."

Donnie smiled up at his brother. "Okay. Thanks, Leo. Sorry, Raph, you were right."

Raph clapped his brother on the shoulder, smirking. "I always am, Don."

"'Cept when it involves knowing when _not_ to beat people up," commented Mikey, hopping into the room as he secured the wrappings around his foot. In response, Raphael threw a pillow at his brother, knocking him off balance. Mikey only just avoided tumbling into the water. "_Dude!_ Not cool!"

"Stop fooling around, guys," ordered Leo half-heartedly. His own anticipation made it hard to muster up his leader persona. He exhaled smoothly and grinned at his brothers. "Let's go."

The brothers left the lair, Mikey whooping and hollering until Raph hit him in the head. Splinter chuckled to himself as his children's laughter carried through the screen doors, before he sighed softly. Hopefully, when they returned, they would have Miwa laughing along with them.

* * *

"I still don't see why we brought the Shellraiser," announced Raph, as Leo parked the vehicle in the shadows of the alley by Murakami's.

"Because none of us will want to walk home if it's late, and the Party Wagon is too conspicuous." Leo secured the handbrake, and exited the vehicle with his brothers. "Besides, Karai seemed more… fragile the other night. She might not be up to the walk; she's still healing from her time with the Shredder."

"Uh… Leo?" Mikey raised his hand tentatively. "Y'know there's only four seats in the Shellraiser, right?"

He shrugged. "We'll work it out later, if we need to." Leo swallowed, then addressed his brothers seriously, "Guys, please remember: this isn't necessarily us collecting her to take her home. If that happens, great, but if it doesn't, we _don't_ _force_ _it_. Everybody understand?"

His brothers agreed, and Leo led them around to the front of the shop. He was about to open the door when April and Casey burst through it, the former struggling to run in her heels. "Hey guys," April chimed sheepishly, steadying herself on Casey's shoulder.

The hockey player laughed at her. "I told ya heels were a stupid idea; we're part of a ninja clan, Red."

Ignoring him, April glanced at the turtles. "Hey, I'm… I'm sorry for giving you guys the cold shoulder lately. So's Casey, but he's so far up himself he won't say it." She elbowed him in the ribs teasingly, and he shrugged in an attempt to seem nonchalant, but he wouldn't meet anyone's eye and his mouth twitched in embarrassment. "I wanted to tell you guys about her, but Karai… didn't feel comfortable with it. I'm not blaming her or anything!" she amended hurriedly. "I'm just stating facts. Look, I really am sorry. Are we… Are we cool?"

Donnie smiled acceptingly at her. "Thanks, April. We're cool." He inclined his head towards Casey. "You too, puck-head."

"Thank you for apologising," Leo replied. "I understand why you both hid her."

"We're good this time," conceded Raph. He stepped forward and lightly shoved April's shoulder. "But I'm getting sick of you freezing us out so much. This'd better be the last time." She would have been offended, but Raph's smirk was almost affectionate.

"Yay! We're all okay!" cheered Mikey, dragging everyone into a group hug. He held it for a few moments before excitedly whispering, "Can we go in and see her now?"

"Uh, it might be a good idea if you guys _don't_ all run in at once," suggested Casey. "That might freak her out a bit."

Mikey pouted, but Leo acknowledged it with, "That's fair enough. One at a time?"

"I'd say one of you to start, at least. Ease her into it." Casey offered an apologetic smile. "She's getting better with 'em, but I don't think emotions are her strong point."

All four turtles nodded. Donnie tapped Leo on the shoulder. "Maybe you should go, Leo. She's always been closest to you, and you did see her the other night; you'd be a familiar face."

Leo nodded formally, trying not to let his delight and relief show. "Sure. Mikey?" His brother glanced up at him. "I think you should go next. I'll come to the door and get you in a few minutes, okay?" Mikey's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously.

Breathing steadily, Leo smiled at his family for a moment, before opening the door to Murakami's and slipping in before he could change his mind.


	12. Chapter 12

He saw her immediately, sat alone at the bar with her back to him. Her hair was artfully tousled, and she wore a beautiful black-lace dress with a spiked leather jacket over the top. He took the duffel bag at her feet as a good sign.

She didn't turn to face him, even as he approached, but her posture was relaxed as she calmly sipped at a glass of water. He waited behind her until she set the glass down onto the counter, then threw his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he held her tightly, relishing the feel of her in his embrace again.

However, once she was glancing over her shoulder at him and he was met with her golden eyes, he found himself flustered. "I, uh..." Leo blushed. "Hi."

She chuckled, wriggling back further into his arms. "Hello again."

Unbeknownst to the turtle, Angel watched around the screen to Murakami's back room as he tucked his head into the crook of Karai's neck and whispered something to her, until she felt a tapping on her back. She turned to see Mr. Murakami himself with a knowing smile on his face. "Leave them in peace, child. Come, help me with the presentation of the gyoza." After a moment, he added, "You would not wish to ruin the surprise, surely?"

Reluctantly, Angel left her position and closed the screen over fully. As soon as she had done so, Karai turned to face Leo, smirking deviously. "So, _leader_ _boy_, did you miss me?"

His eyes were soft and honest. "I've been missing you for months."

She was caught off-guard momentarily, before she checked the screen door again and kissed his reptilian lips. He pulled her in eagerly, but his hands didn't roam further than her shoulders. The girl laced her fingers through the tails of his mask as she broke the kiss, keeping him close.

Leo beamed at her. "Does that kiss mean my reaction to your dress is appropriate?"

Karai giggled impulsively, before clapping a hand over her mouth. Of course, he had already heard, and was staring at her with such clear joy in his eyes. "That's the most adorable laugh I've ever heard."

She kicked him in the thigh playfully, and he seized her leg, dragging her off the stool and into his arms. As the kunoichi snuggled into him, Leo cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uhm, Karai...?"

"Yeah?"

"Does that kiss mean that we're, like... y'know..." He blushed and frowned. "I'm bad at this. But, you get what I mean, right? Are we...?"

"Leo..." Karai lifted her head from his shoulder slowly, as though it was a great inconvenience to do so. "Do we have to define it? Do we have to define anything? Can't we just... be us? Do this? Why do we need a label for it?"

"It's... It's not about labels, Karai," he confessed. "It's about confirmation. I wanna know that there's... something here."

"Can't you tell?" She replied. It was supposed to be gentle, but it sounded cold. Trying to amend her mistake, she placed a hand on his arm and sighed, "Leo, I don't like labels. I don't like strictness. I prefer to just have this... this _thing_, and let it grow and become whatever it ends up being. Definition just isn't my thing. Okay?"

The turtle was silent for so long, she began to worry that it wasn't okay, that he didn't understand, that he couldn't deal with something so uncertain... or that he didn't want to. But when his eyes finally met hers, she knew he understood. "As long as I know there's a thing," was his response.

Karai smiled, a genuine smile as opposed to a teasing smirk, and nodded. "There's definitely a thing."

"Good." He smiled back. The two stayed in that silence for a while, before he sighed regretfully. "I probably better get the guys in..."

She nodded, biting her lower lip nervously. He tilted her head up and whispered that it would be fine. "I hope so..." Karai muttered, laying her head against his shoulder again.

He kissed the crown of her head comfortingly before delicately setting her back onto the bar stool. The turtle turned his back on her and stepped forward, before her voice halted him in place. "And Leo?"

"Yeah?"

She smirked. "Partnership. The _thing_ we have is a partnership."

His wide lips stretched into an ecstatic smile. "Partners... I like it."

Leo walked over to the entrance, but had barely even pulled on the door handle when Mikey was barreling in, an anxious and eager grin plastered on his face that only widened when he saw Karai.

The kunoichi dipped her head formally in greeting. "Hello, Miche-"

The excitable little turtle was already hugging her by then, squeezing the air out of her lungs but for a pained gasp as his arms roughly pressed into her tender back. Over the turtle's shoulder, Karai spotted Leo stepping closer instinctively, but she dismissed him with a smile and a slight shake of her head. "I missed you, Karai!" Mikey cooed happily, but it was muffled by her shoulder. He pulled back slightly to look at her and gasped. "And you're human again!"

"I am." The girl pressed into his embrace. "I..."

"It's okay," he assured her. "You don't have to say you missed me. But I still missed _you_, sis."

"_Sis?_" she repeated doubtfully.

"Well... yeah," replied the little turtle, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're Master Splinter's daughter, and we're his sons, so you're my sister." He hesitated, recalling Leo's earlier words about not forcing things, then added, "Unless you really, really don't wanna be."

"No, I..." Karai leaned into his ear and whispered. "If you'll accept me, I want to be."

"You're family - you're automatically accepted," Mikey whispered back. She hadn't known Mikey to have the ability to whisper before.

On impulse, she pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you, Michelangelo."

"Call me Mikey. All of my _family_ does."

They held each-other a few moments longer, before a wooden staff gently slid between them, separating their embrace. Donnie appeared soon after, nudging his younger brother out of the way kindly and offering an arm to Karai. "Sorry Mikey, but I think it's my turn."

In contrast to the orange-clad turtle, Donatello stood there awkwardly with his arms outstretched, simply waiting until she wrapped herself in them. As soon as she did so, he smiled endearingly at her and cradled her close. She pecked him on the cheek as she had done with Mikey, and he kissed her temple in response.

"Hey, _I_ didn't get to kiss her back!" cried Mikey from the side. He leapt in quickly and sloppily tried to kiss her lips. She turned her head at the last second and he caught her cheek instead, but the girl grinned at him afterwards anyway.

"_My_ turn, Mikey," Donnie reminded him, twisting so his body was blocking Karai from sight.

Leo watched from the door with April, Casey and Raphael as the two siblings hugged, wishing he could go over and inform them all that she was officially his _partner_ now, and that technically he was the only one entitled to let his mouth touch her, so they shouldn't push their luck. Though of course he knew that he couldn't do that, so he clamped his lips and clenched his fists behind his carapace.

He glanced to Casey when the boy chuckled. "Jealous, Leo?"

"Wha- No!" he protested. Turning his back on Casey and his chortles, Leo focused on his brother. "Raph? Aren't you gonna greet her?"

The red-clad turtle didn't respond, but his eyes widened immediately when Karai strode over and draped her arms around his neck. "Sorry," she whispered almost inaudibly into his ear. "I'm sorry for everything."

Raph wasn't one for full-on embraces, but he consented to curling one arm around her to hold her against him. "I know," he murmured, near silently.

Comprehending that this was the closest she would get to Mikey's instant acceptance and cuddling, Karai held Raph a few moments longer, squeezed him quickly, and then released him, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. It felt like everyone was looking at her, though that was probably because they were.

Casey cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Uh, Rai? Think I should get…?" He motioned towards the screen door.

Without thinking, Karai nodded. She knew Angel's skill at relieving tension better than anyone.

As Casey moved to the door, it dawned on the turtles that they were supposed to be meeting Casey's little sister tonight too. They hadn't been thrilled at first, assuming from 'little sister' that she was probably a stuck-up kid of about nine who would think them disgusting, but had warmed up to the idea with the knowledge that she had survived the Kraang invasion at Karai's side. When Casey returned with a girl sporting bright purple hair and a shirt and tie, the brothers shared a shameful glance at their misjudgement.

The girl gravitated to Karai's side automatically, but presented the turtles with a winning smile as she took Karai's hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Angel, Casey's sister."

"So we've heard," commented Donnie, smiling down at her. "Nice to meet you too. I'm-"

"Donatello, right?" she guessed. She took his surprised expression as a 'yes'. "Cool! And that's Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael, isn't it?"

Donnie raised a non-existent eyebrow at Casey. "I thought you 'didn't tell her that much'."

"Actually, I told her a lot when the Kraang invaded," interjected Karai. She seemed entirely composed, but Angel felt her grip her hand a bit tighter and patted it. "Reliving the memories helped, surprisingly. Kept them in my mind." The kunoichi looked to Angel at her side. "And Angel's very curious; she asked lots of questions, which made me think harder about it."

"It's okay," Leo promised her. He smiled at both girls. "You coped however you could. Besides, Angel seems like a good person. I'm glad we're getting to meet her." He extended a three-fingered hand, and Angel shook it without a beat.

The evening proceeded fantastically. Murakami presented them all with pizza gyoza (Karai had insisted on treating the group; the approving amazement she received from the guys when they learned she had essentially robbed Shredder was very pleasing), and they crowded around the bar together, sharing stories and laughing. Murakami had whipped up a special Japanese dessert for them all, and wouldn't accept any payment, insisting that it was on the house. Casey recounted the story of his heroism as he rescued Karai – with various interjections of realism from the rescued – to the turtles, and at the guys' insistence for various reasons, he described what Karai's back wounds were like (he thought it best that he handle it, as he wouldn't have put it past Karai to simply undress and show them).

"Man, I can't believe it was _you_ that the Foot were after that night!" exclaimed Mikey, stretching across Leo to prod Karai's arm.

"And you were hiding in the dumpster across the street? We must've ran right past you to get home!" Donnie speculated in disbelief.

"You did," admitted Karai. "I watched you guys jump down the manhole."

"Yet you didn't tell us?" He rolled his brown eyes. "Unbelievable."

"Good job breakin' out of Foot HQ, though," Raph commended her from across the bar. "'Specially with your back bust up."

She smiled. "Thank you."

When the clock passed midnight, it was decided that they should call it a night, so that those in school could stay awake. Eyeing the duffel bag Karai was holding, Leo tentatively asked, "So, uh, are you coming with?"

"… If you don't mind."

"Don't be stupid, of course we don't."

Casey and April had both hugged her goodbye firmly, promising to visit the lair tomorrow to see her. Karai's goodbye with Angel was more tearful on both parts, but Karai swore that with a few more meet-ups maybe, the guys would gladly invite her down to the lair too. After she had bid everyone farewell, the turtles led Karai back to the Shellraiser.

"Come on," Leo said gently, tugging her by the arm, "you can sit up front with me."

"No way." Raph snatched Karai's arm away from Leo. "She can sit in the back with Mikey. The last thing we need is you crashing this thing 'cause you were making goo-goo eyes at her."

As the orange-clad turtle eagerly dragged Karai to the navigation station, Leo raised a non-existent eyebrow at Raph. "And you think _Mikey_ needs the distraction?"

"Mikey'll _find_ a distraction," he pointed out. "At least this one won't distract the rest of us."

"But I'll have to glance behind me now to check on her. What if I crash because I can't see the road?"

"You can use the monitor. Or, y'know, _not_ check on her." Raph clapped his brother on the shoulder. "We got her, bro, just focus on the road. You won't be doing any of us any favors by getting in a car accident."

"Thanks, Raph."

"Whatever."

Chuckling to himself, Leo slid into the driver's seat. He checked all the monitors, and smiled when he saw Karai huddled on the floor between Mikey's legs at the back of the van. Shifting the vehicle into gear, he grinned widely. "Alright, guys. Let's get home."

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT... duh. I would be in no position to complain so much about the episode delays if I did :')**

**Also, quick note: I kinda thought Karai wasn't the type to just immediately say they had a relationship and were boyfriend-and-girlfriend and all that, but Leo seems like the sort of person (turtle?) to want confirmation, so I tried to make a compromise with the 'partnership' thing.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading, and if you feel like reviewing, that would be much appreciated. We're on like 70 now, guys! Thank you so much :) By the way, I uploaded early because I just couldn't wait... Don't judge me :P**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I wish, but nah. Don't own it, sorry.**

* * *

The first thing Leo did after parking the Shellraiser in Donnie's makeshift garage was dash to meet Mikey, who gratefully handed over the napping girl he had been struggling to lift. Karai had dozed off at some point during the drive back, her head resting on Mikey's thigh. Leo didn't blame her, though; Casey had taken him aside in the night to warn him about Karai's sleeping troubles.

He roused her with a gentle shake, smirking at her brief disorientation. "Hey. Ready to see Sensei?"

She swallowed nervously. "I… I think so."

After making sure nobody was looking, Leo pecked her on the cheek. "Father has missed you, Karai. He'll be ecstatic to see you again."

Karai didn't respond verbally, but she tightened her arms around Leo's neck and shook her head to wake herself up more. He carried her through to the main room, where his brothers waited. "Where's Sensei?"

"Boys? Is that you?"

"Ooh, ooh!" Mikey jumped up and down with his hand in the air. When Leo nodded to him, he pointed to the dojo's screen door, which was sliding open. "He's over there."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Mikey." He placed Karai on her feet just as his father came into view.

"My sons-" Splinter's breath hitched as he saw her. "Miwa... You are here."

She nodded stiffly, her voice small. "I am."

His eyes softened. "I do not know whether to thank my stars or my sons."

"I'd say your sons," advised Mikey from the side-lines.

Splinter chuckled, but he couldn't take his eyes off his daughter. Karai averted her gaze shyly, focusing on the floor. "Very well, Michelangelo. Thank you for bringing her to me, my sons. And Miwa?" Her eyes flicked up to meet his. Splinter stepped forward, extending his arms to her. "Thank you for returning to us."

Karai hesitantly took a step forward, looking at the floor again. Then, she ran towards her father and threw her arms around his waist. He held her tightly, his snout buried in her hair. When she raised her head, he dabbed away her tears with the sleeve of his robe. She watched the action anxiously, tracking his hand back down to her waist. He pulled her close again and she tensed, before she realised that he was only going to hold her. Eyes watering again, she pressed herself into him and wept. He kissed her head lovingly as he cradled her.

Once her sobbing began to subside, he tilted her head up and wiped the stray tears and remnants of her make-up away, prior to lightly pecking her forehead. "I love you, Miwa," Splinter whispered to her. Karai lay her head against his robe, but couldn't bring herself to repeat the phrase aloud yet. Her father tolerated this for now, settling for just hugging her.

The four turtles watched the duo embracing, before Mikey yawned loudly. Splinter glanced at him in amusement, and he smiled sheepishly. "Heh, uh, sorry Sensei…"

"Do not worry, Michelangelo," he assured his youngest, "it is late. We should all rest." He looked down at Karai. "Miwa, I was wondering whether you would mind having a… room-mate, of sorts."

Her eyes widened. "A room-mate?"

"Indeed. To ensure you do not go out on any _midnight escapades_." His arms tightened.

Karai swallowed. _This is your fault_, she thought. _You betrayed them. You deserve punishment; you brought this on yourself. _She nodded. "Okay."

Splinter smiled at her, and she closed her eyes in fear. "Then I am certain Leonardo will be more than happy to accommodate you."

Silence. Then, she peered up at him. "Leonardo?"

He beckoned said son forward and kissed her temple. "I am assuming neither of you will mind this?"

"No, Father," they answered in unison.

"Good." Splinter squeezed Karai tightly, then released her. Leo placed a hand on her shoulder. "I will see you all in the morning. Miwa, I would like to see you in the dojo then. Alone, preferably."

Focusing very intently on Leo's hand cupping her shoulder, Karai murmured a soft "okay", hoping her father's enhanced hearing couldn't hear her heartbeat. Though apparently Leo could at least sense it, because his hand travelled to the base of her neck and rubbed it comfortingly.

"Well then," Splinter reached out a hand and caressed her cheek, a wistful look in his eyes, "perhaps we should all get some sleep. Goodnight, my children."

"Goodnight, Sensei," his family chorused, before heading off towards their respective bedrooms. Karai's voice hadn't been in the chorus, but she bowed her head respectfully to him before turning to leave.

However, a hand to each of their shoulders stopped Leo and Karai in their tracks. They glanced up at their father. "Now, I am assuming that I can trust you both," Splinter said sternly, arms folded.

Leo blinked, unfazed. "Of course, Sensei."

Karai on the other hand, understanding immediately, smirked. "Don't worry, Father, we'll behave." She gestured to a bemused Leo. "He doesn't have a clue what you mean."

Splinter hummed non-committally. "Very well. Though I shall still expect you to leave the door _open _for as long as this arrangement lasts."

"Why?" asked Leo, before realisation dawned on him and he flushed pink. "O-Oh. Yeah, Sensei, the door'll be open from now on. N-Not that it would need to be, of course." He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

Karai patted his shoulder, then smiled at Splinter. "It's okay, I won't be corrupting him." Splinter nodded and dismissed them. Karai leant into Leo's ear as they left and whispered lowly, "Well, not tonight, at least."

Blushing deeply, he shoved her forward as he stooped to retrieve her bag. "I hate you so much."

"No, you don't."

Leonardo followed her happily with the bag under his arm, swatting at her even though she was out of reach, failing to notice the humanoid rat watching them with a fond smile from across the room.

* * *

After brushing her teeth beside her new brothers (and marvelling at how surreal it was), Karai removed her make-up and, upon Leo's insistence, changed alone in the bathroom. She padded through to Leo's room – the door left wide open for her – with her dress over her arm, and felt anxiety crawling over her skin again. Shaking it off and putting on a smirk, she sauntered into Leo's bedroom, only to be immediately swung off her feet. Shrieking in surprise, she dropped what she was holding and twisted to see her attacker.

Leo grinned at her, lifting her higher over his head. "Hello again."

She allowed him to play for a little longer, waving her around over his head, but when he stopped swinging her side to side and began spinning in circles, she asked, "Leo, what are you doing?"

He shrugged, then tossed her up into the air, catching her carefully as she fell. "I don't know." This time, he twirled around with her, before clutching her to his plastron. Karai just let him do what he wished, laughing quietly all the while.

"You really are _weird_, Leo," Karai informed him. "Even for a mutant turtle."

"I can't help it; I'm happy." Flicking off the light and pulling the door over (leaving it open enough to stave off Splinter's wrath), Leo carried her to the bed with ease. "I mean, after a year, you're finally here. I mean, for real. And you're my _partner_ now, which I am more than okay with."

Leo lay her down in the bed and tucked her in, smiling at her all the while. She smirked at him. "Stop trying to be cute."

"Hey, you said it yourself, remember? I'm adorable."

She laughed. "I also recall saying you were stupid."

He stuck his tongue out at her as he clambered into the bed beside her, and she couldn't deny how safe she felt as he cuddled closer to her, his large arm curved around her shoulders. "So," Leo said with a grin, though his eyes sparkled with concern, "how's your back, partner?"

"We're not in the Old West, Leo," she scoffed. The kunoichi rolled onto her side, only aware of the tingling pain after having thought of it. "And my back is fine."

Karai felt his sigh of relief. "Awesome. You might wanna get Donnie to look at it tomorrow, though, just in case."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, calm down."

Leo kissed her on the cheek. "What? I'm worried about you, that's all. I don't want you to be in pain."

"Thank you," the kunoichi said softly, tucking herself into Leo's side. The turtle held her close without even thinking about it, easily accepting her into his personal space. Karai's mouth curled upwards, and he felt the movement of her lips against his plastron.

"Goodnight, my beautiful little partner," he whispered to her.

"Little?" She gazed at him through her eyelashes. "I'm taller than you."

"Well, yeah," Leo conceded, "but my frame's bigger. And anyway, right now you look absolutely tiny."

Karai scowled half-heartedly at him. "You know, we can't all have huge shells, Leo."

"That would certainly make myself and our brothers less special."

"Nothing would make you less _special_, Leo," she chuckled to herself.

He blew a raspberry on the crown of her head and she squealed in disgust. The turtle laughed down at her, ruffling her short hair, then heaved a sigh. "Karai?"

"Yes?"

"Why… Why did you kiss me so quickly the other night?" She froze in his arms. Hurriedly, he pecked her on the forehead and explained, "It's just – I'm not complaining, honest – but I don't… I don't understand what prompted it. I wanted it to happen, but I didn't really expect it." He paused, gauging her reaction. She seemed to be listening, though it didn't look like she was going to speak any time soon. When Leo spoke again, his voice seemed small in the silent room. "I was just wondering why."

If Leo's voice had been small, Karai's was minuscule. "… Because I was scared that if I waited, I would lose the only person that's ever cared about me again."

"Oh, Karai…" Leo caressed her cheek, then set her head down on his chest again. "You won't lose me. Now come on, you need to go to sleep."

Her arms wrapped around his neck as she drew closer. He placed a kiss on her head, inhaling her scent greedily. "Goodnight, Leonardo."

"Goodnight, Karai. See you in the morning."

Comforted by Leo's presence and steady breathing, Karai felt herself drifting off to sleep against the heavy shell of her companion. And for the first time since her mutation, she slept peacefully.

* * *

When Karai awoke the next morning, it was to discover a firm grip around her waist. Leo was snuggled right up to her, his arms locked around her even in his sleep. He murmured sleepily, drooling onto her neck.

"Ew," she muttered pointedly. A long, slow lick trailed across her neck, and she hissed in repulsion. "Leo, that's disgusting!"

His blue eyes opened, and he grinned cheekily at her. "What? You liked my tongue last night…"

She blinked in surprise. "Wow. I suppose the stick-up-his-shell, leader boy persona doesn't kick in until you wake up properly, huh?"

As if just realising what he had said, Leo blushed. "Uhm… I-"

Karai cut him off with her laughter. "You really are adorable, Leonardo."

He smiled. "Thanks." The turtle leaned up towards her, but she winced and turned away. "What?"

She stifled her giggles behind her hand. "You have the worst morning breath ever."

Leo frowned, then pressed his mouth against hers anyway, chuckling into their kiss. Thankfully, Karai laughed too, kissing him back. As they broke the kiss, Karai rolled her eyes. "Morning breath _and_ turtle lips? Aren't I just the luckiest girl in the world?"

"Hey," Leo teased playfully, "you're the first girl in the world to ever kiss a mutant turtle. I'd say that's pretty lucky." He thought for a moment, then added, "And anyway, it could've been worse; my brothers and I lived off algae and worms, which probably would've been worse than morning breath."

"Ugh." Karai shuddered in mock-horror. "You're never allowed to kiss me after you eat algae and worms."

He pouted, then pecked her on the cheek. "I still can't believe you're here with me, Rai-Rai."

She shook her head. "I don't think so, Leo. Rai-Rai is Angel's nickname for me. Try again."

"Uh… Precious?"

"Cute, but no."

"Honey?"

"Hmm… No, too sickly sweet."

"… Baby?"

"Absolutely not."

Leo sighed in defeat. "I'll think on it."

She smirked. "Good. Let me know when you think of something."

"Will do." He kissed her on the head. "Come on, we should get up."

The turtle scooped the kunoichi into his arms and swung her over his shoulder, carrying her out of the room and through to the main living area. Upon her request, Leo set her down on her feet again just before they entered, and kept his hands off her as they walked together.

"Morning, Karai!" shouted Mikey eagerly, dashing over to her from nowhere and throwing his arms around her. "Did you sleep okay?"

"For once, yes," she answered honestly, wrapping one arm around Mikey's shell. Leo met her eyes over the younger turtle's head with a question in his eyes, and she offered him a small smile.

"Awesome." The young turtle beamed up at her. "I did, too; I dreamt that me and our brothers were sat in here watching TV – probably Crognard, I can't remember – and then a broken Foot-Bot flew in through the turnstiles, and I could hear a bunch of other ones getting mashed up, and one working robot got into the lair and was taking pictures – its eyes had cameras – and I was all like, "Oh no, bro!" but it was okay, 'cuz then you leapt over the turnstiles too – in your snake form – and totally crushed it and saved us all, and then-"

"What on earth are you talking about?" questioned Raph as he entered, tying the wraps around one of his hands.

"My dream," answered Mikey, as if it was obvious. "Wanna hear about it, too?"

The red-clad turtle rolled his eyes. "No, Mikey, I really don't." He turned to Karai. "Hey princess, I think Sensei wants to talk to you. You might wanna get changed first, though."

Trying to regulate her breathing, she nodded. "Okay."

"You alright?" Leo asked gently.

Karai smiled gratefully at him. "Yeah, I'm… alright."

* * *

**Okay, so quick warning: Up until now, I've had at least one full chapter written up and proof-read, but I've fallen a bit behind, so while I think I should probably be okay, I'm warning you in advance that I might be a little late on some future updates. If I am, I'm really sorry.**

**Anyway, thank you very much for reading this chapter, and to anyone that has reviewed or plans to, you are awesome xD**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. And yes, this update is late. I didn't have access to a computer last night even though I thought I would. Please don't hate me ^^ Also, I don't personally have any close experience with assault or anyone that has (that I know of, at least), so I'm sorry if some actions in this chapter wouldn't be plausible. This is a work of fiction, so I'm calling a little bit of creative license if this is unrealistic. Thanks for understanding.**

* * *

"Father?"

Splinter raised his head and opened his eyes, rising from his meditative position. His daughter stood in the dojo's doorway, donning jeans and a shirt that bore what he assumed was a band's logo. Her make-up had been applied and her hair hung neatly around her face. She was wringing her hands in front of her, presumably from nerves.

"Good morning, my daughter," he greeted her warmly. He motioned her forward, and requested that she shut the screen door, with the explanation of, "As you will soon come to learn, the boys can be very distracting. I would not wish for them to ruin this moment."

Unable to speak, Karai merely nodded, slowly closing the screen door. She peeked through the gap until the last second, searching for anyone that could help her. Mikey glanced across the room at her, but he grinned and offered a thumbs-up, oblivious. Sighing softly to herself, she shut the door fully, sealing her own fate.

"Come, child." Splinter motioned her forward, and she hesitantly obeyed.

She was about to kneel before him when he pulled her into a hug, somehow holding her tight without hurting her injured back. After a few moments, he pulled away and kissed her on the head. "Thank goodness you are back with me, my daughter. Oroku Saki was once my brother, but I dare not trust the man he has become with your care." He stroked a hand down the side of her face. "Though you have still become a strong and stunning young woman, Miwa."

The girl bowed her head, partially in respect and partially to hide her fear. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

His hand tilted her head up so their eyes met, but she couldn't read the emotions within his. She blinked up at him, and he chuckled fondly at her. "Words cannot express my love for you," Splinter murmured to her through the still of the dojo, "but I suppose that actions speak louder."

A chill tore through Karai's body, but she felt herself nodding anyway. Splinter observed her cautiously for a second, then turned away and crossed to the small shrine he had constructed on a shelf nearby, leaving her shivering on the spot. Sighing, she grasped the hem of her shirt and lifted it.

Concealing the object he was holding in the sleeve of his robe, Splinter turned in confusion at the rustle of clothing, then immediately whipped around again when he understood what it was. "Miwa?"

Shirt dangling from her fingertips, Karai blinked in confusion. She stepped closer. "What's the matter, Father?"

He didn't turn around, even when he sensed her reaching for his shoulder. "What are you…?"

"Is it not enough?" She blushed. "I was going to show you more…"

"Miwa…" He couldn't even find the words to say. The whole situation was just so… _wrong_. "You have no reason to show me _any_. What are you doing?"

"I… I thought you…" Karai glanced down self-consciously. "You requested that I come alone, you said that you were going to express your love with actions, and you told me to close the door… I assumed this was what you wanted."

He turned to her, his gaze trained on her face. Without looking down, he took the shirt from her hands and slipped it back over her head. She slid her arms through the sleeves cautiously, and he placed a shaky hand on her shoulder. "Miwa, why did you assume I wanted this from you?"

"Because Shredder always has."

It had been a furious cry in her head, but it emerged as a soft whisper in the real world. She hadn't even meant to say it aloud. In fact, she barely realised it had broken free at all until she spotted the anguish in her father's eyes. The next instant, she was slammed against the humanoid rat's body, strong arms pressing her into the worn fabric of his robe.

"Father?" she choked out, but she received no response. Something dripped onto the back of her neck, and she belatedly comprehended that it was a teardrop. Her arms gripped him firmly, and he didn't look like he was letting go of her any time soon. "Father?" Karai attempted again.

"I am _so_ sorry for what you have endured, my poor daughter," he whispered quietly to her.

"It…" She swallowed awkwardly. "It isn't your fault."

"I should have protected you better," Splinter muttered, though he sounded distant.

"You couldn't have done anything," Karai protested.

Splinter squeezed her tighter. "I should have done _something_. You should never have had to live with that _monster_." His hold constricted with each word. "You should have been safe with me, in our home. Oroku Saki will pay for what he has done to you. This goes beyond a fight between two clans. He has crossed a line, and he will never be forgiven."

"Father?!"

Suddenly remembering that he was embracing his daughter a little too tightly, Splinter loosened his hold, but in light of new information he couldn't bring himself to actually let go. "Apologies. I was not trying to harm you."

"I know," she said gently. He kissed her temple, and she couldn't help smiling. "Father…" Looking up at him through her eyelashes, she hoped her vulnerability wasn't too obvious. "You would never do that to me, would you?"

He carefully cupped her face in his hands, shaking his head at her. "No, Miwa, no. I would never hurt you, my daughter. I will never abuse you. You are safe with us here."

Karai's throat choked up, but she threw her arms around her father's neck and cuddled up to him. They were silent for a long moment, but curiosity was gnawing at Splinter's mind. He had often chastised his sons for being too curious, though simple inquiry wasn't what he wanted. He felt he needed to know so that he could understand her.

"Miwa?" Splinter whispered softly. She hummed in acknowledgement. He sighed, "Can you tell me about it?"

"I…" Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat to try again. "I don't know."

He stroked her head. "That is your choice. I merely wish to understand."

She tucked her head under his chin. "I don't want to upset you."

"You will not," he promised.

Karai snuggled closer, and he cherished every second he held her. "He…" She took a deep breath. "It started when I was six…"

And just like that, the whole story came pouring out. From the first inappropriate kiss to what she feared he could have done to her during her recent weeks of unconsciousness. Every beating, every touch, all of it, even down to being unable to resist the chance to kiss Leo when it was offered to her out of fear she would lose him. Splinter was silent all throughout her tale, allowing her to sob and stutter through the story until she was out of tears.

Feeling vulnerable in the aftermath, the girl hid her face in the folds of her father's robe. "Thank you," she murmured.

His hold tightened again. Splinter couldn't bring himself to speak, his throat thick with unshed tears and unadulterated rage. Oroku Saki had gone too far. Not only had he destroyed Yoshi's life and taken Shen's, he had grown so obsessed with the poor woman that he chose to ruin poor Miwa's. Splinter could feel the years of pain, fear and anger radiating from his lost daughter, and in that moment, he would have slit Saki's throat without a pang of remorse or hesitation if given half the chance.

"Oh, my poor, poor child," he breathed, clutching her to him. "I cannot undo the years of suffering you have endured, but I can promise that nobody will ever hurt you like that again."

She whimpered into his robe. "Thank you."

"I love you, Miwa. You do not have to repeat it, but I need you to know."

Karai couldn't say the words, but she put her hands on his shoulders and pushed herself up high enough to kiss him on the cheek. He chuckled, and kissed her forehead, before hugging her again. "Thank you for returning to us, Miwa. Please do not leave us again."

She gave him a watery smile. "Good luck getting rid of me."

The kunoichi attempted to give him a product kiss, but he angled her head away gently. "No, child. That isn't… appropriate."

"I'm sorry." Karai sank down from her tip-toes and gazed at the floor to hide her blush. "I haven't been taught much about appropriate behaviour."

"I can imagine." Splinter pecked her on the head. "But no matter. There will be plenty of time for you to learn."

Splinter drew her in for yet another hug, gazing over her head at the photograph of himself and Tang Shen holding their baby. He glanced at the teenage girl before him and almost couldn't believe it was the same girl.

"Thank you for accepting me," Karai whispered. _I guess with all this practice, I'm definitely getting better at saying 'thanks'_, she thought bitterly.

He rolled his eyes. "Saying that implies that it was necessary."

They embraced a few moments longer, before he released her and patted her shoulder. "I appreciate you confiding in me. Presumably I am not to tell the boys?"

"N-No, please don't."

"That is understandable, though at some point it may be unavoidable." He led her to the screen door. "Regardless, I cannot express how grateful I am for your trust. Now, I suppose I should let you go, before one of my boys loses patience." He frowned. "For once, I fear it may be Leonardo."

Karai giggled, but her hand rested on the screen door, hesitating.

"Miwa?"

She sighed, and asked quietly, "Father, why did you call me in here alone?"

He ran a hand through her hair, then produced a small pendant on a silver chain. The charm was a delicate, cherry-red sakura blossom, made of thick glass. Splinter smiled wistfully. "I purchased this in memory of your mother – and you, at the time – when I first arrived in America. I was going to keep it merely to remember you both by, but now that I have the opportunity, I want to give it to you. You need not wear it if you do not wish to, but it is yours all the same."

Karai glanced down. "It's… It's beautiful."

She felt him reach around her neck to fasten the clasp beneath her hair, and the pendant rested on her throat. Splinter's hands lingered no longer than was necessary to attach the necklace and smooth down her hair, and gratitude swelled in her heart. It was something she had experienced far too often in the last few weeks, and something Leo in particular rarely failed to evoke in her.

"It is," he agreed softly. "Almost as beautiful as you."

Karai blushed, but smiled at him. He reached across her to open the screen door, never breaking eye contact.

As Splinter had predicted, Leo stood on the other side. The turtle was clearly waiting, but was positioned far enough from the door to ensure he couldn't eavesdrop. He smiled at Karai, then bowed to Splinter.

The humanoid rat smirked. "Good morning, Leonardo. Miwa, thank you for our talk."

Impulsively, Karai gave her father another quick hug, then moved to Leo's side. "Are you joining us, father?"

He shook his head, a haunted look in his eyes. "No… I will see you all later. Now, I must meditate."

Both children nodded, bowing again and taking their leave. Once Splinter shut the screen door again, Karai turned to Leo, noting with surprise that he was still grinning at her.

"What?" she questioned.

Leo's smile widened. "I had algae and worms for breakfast."

Karai reacted immediately and tried to dart away, but Leo was already grabbing her and twisting her around. She shrieked in protest as Leo crushed her against the wall, though he cushioned the blow to her back and head with his arms. His large lips smothered her small ones, and though the taste made her wince, she laughed into the kiss.

The screen door whooshed open again, and a simultaneously worried and furious Master Splinter stood on the other side.

"Sensei!" exclaimed Leo, breaking away from her with a gasp. "I-I – We were just, uh-"

"Thank you, Master Splinter," Karai interrupted, pushing past the flustered turtle. "He was torturing me with his rancid algae-and-worms breath."

"Oh, come on! It's not that bad!"

Understanding, Splinter chuckled. "I see. Forgive me, my children; the screams were alarming."

"Sorry," she said with a smirk. "It was just so _disgusting_ that I couldn't help it."

"Okay, that's it. Come with me." Leo seized hold of her and dragged her to the kitchen. "You're trying some algae and worms right now."

"Ew, no!" Karai shrieked, but she was laughing as he scooped her into his arms. "Put me down, Leo!"

"Sure. Let's see… You're too stubborn, you're hot-headed, you're-"

"Not what I meant."

Leo laughed as he cradled her. "I'm glad you cut me off; I couldn't think of anything else. Seriously though, algae and worms aren't that bad. C'mon, you can be the first human to actually eat it…"

"Not surprised about Princess," Karai remarked affectionately, "but Jones really couldn't do it?"

"Nope." Leo shook his head. "He tried it, but he spat it back in Raph's face after about three seconds. And April? She couldn't even try. 'Way too gross', apparently."

The kunoichi grinned indulgently. "Well, if I'd be the _first_…"

"Leonardo. Miwa."

"Hai, Master Splinter?" They answered automatically, turning to face him.

Splinter eyed them sternly. "I am expecting you _both_ to abide by _courtesy_ and _decency_, especially but not _only_ in our family rooms. Do you understand?" When they both nodded, his expression softened. "Then I wish to congratulate you two on your happiness."

"So… you approve of us?" inquired Leo hesitantly.

He sighed, and admitted, "It… will take some getting used to, and I will certainly need some meditation before I can quite get my head around it." Their father smiled. "However, I can definitely understand and recognise affection, and would not be able to live with myself should I deny either of you it. Besides, I trust that you will both be caring and respectful to each-other."

Karai nuzzled closer to Leo, as both murmured a gentle, "Hai, Master Splinter."

Splinter dismissed them, then watched fondly as the turtle carried her through to the kitchen. "Oh, and tell your brothers there will be no training today," he called out as an after-thought.

"Aw yeah, brah!" he heard Mikey cheer, followed by a resounding slap and a whine of, "_Ow_! Not cool, Raph!"

Tactfully choosing not to respond, Splinter returned to the dojo, trying to contain his amusement.

* * *

**Two quick notes in response to some guest reviews I've been meaning to address (you can skip this if you don't care, thanks for reading/reviewing/etc, see you next week xD):**

**One, to the guest who has kindly suggested a couple of times that Raph could have a crush on Angel: It's a really interesting idea that I like and might hint to, but ultimately this is Karai's story (even if there's some bits she isn't in, whatever), and the main focus is her and her family. Secondly, to the guest who asked if boys and girls sharing a room was an Asian thing:**** As far as I'm aware, no it isn't, but I thought Splinter would be hesitant to leave Karai alone in case she ran away again, and that he would trust Leo the most to keep her safe. Also, he could probably use his ninja-mind-powers to see that she was much more comfortable in his presence, anyway.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: The only things TMNT-related that belong to me are a few DVDs and way too much excitement about the new episodes :')**

* * *

"Man, I still can't believe you ate it all!" Mikey congratulated his sister, squeezing her tightly. "None of our human friends have ever eaten _any_ algae and worms, let alone a whole bowl!"

Karai smiled weakly, hoping he couldn't see how ill she felt. "It wasn't too bad, actually; better than I expected it to be."

"Now you can have breakfast with us every day!" gasped Mikey. "We're gonna need to up our algae-diving quota!"

She was sure her skin had paled. Luckily, Leo came to her rescue once again. "Mikey, she's a human, remember? She can't live off just algae and worms; we'll have to get other food for her, like we do for Master Splinter, April, and Casey." The blue-clad turtle turned to his partner with a devious grin. "But I'm sure she can join us sometimes."

The kunoichi raised an eyebrow at him and he winked cheekily, riding on the thrill her presence brought him. As Mikey bounced into the living area to announce the news to Raph and Donnie, Leo laced his three fingers through Karai's five, squeezing tightly.

"Hmm…" She glanced down at their fingers. "Why do I get the feeling that you are going to be incredibly clingy in this partnership?"

Leo smiled shyly, his grip loosening. "Heheh, uh… Sorry, Karai, I just-"

"It's okay, Leo," she said quietly. "I… I kind of like it."

He blushed. "You do?"

"… Yes." The girl averted her eyes coyly. "It… It's kind of nice to have somebody care enough about me to need constant check-ups."

"I can't help it," he admitted sheepishly, clutching her hand again. "I like reassuring myself that you're here with me, and I like making sure you're happy."

When her eyes met his, they were surprisingly defenceless and open, her appreciation and affection very visible. "Thank you, Leonardo. Thank you so much."

He kissed her on the cheek quickly, pulling back just as their brothers approached. Raphael rolled his eyes at them and Mikey and Donnie both smiled, but to Karai's amazement, there was no further reaction. Karai wondered why they were being so casual, until it hit her: She had feared their brothers discovering their partnership due to the taboo it would have incurred topside, but after living in the sewers their whole lives, her brothers obviously weren't aware of said taboo. Or, in the cases of Donatello and probably Leo, they just didn't care about it.

So maybe she should stop caring, too. Not just about the taboo, but about everything; Leo wanted to be her partner, she wanted to be his, and their family weren't upset about it. Maybe that was all that mattered.

As Mikey distracted their brothers, Leo cupped her face gently in both hands and placed a quick peck on her lips. _Screw you, Foot Clan_, she thought to herself, bringing him in for a deeper kiss. _Screw it all._

* * *

Two days. Splinter's resolve lasted two days. Two days of fighting against the desire for vengeance so strong it physically hurt, coping purely through will power, and comfort drawn from watching his boys fuss over their new sister. Training and patrols had both been cancelled for a few days, partly so the boys could help welcome Miwa, and partly because neither he nor Leonardo had decided how to tell her that she wasn't to go on patrols while the Shredder was searching for her.

However, even the strongest can fall, and as he lay awake again that night, he gave in to revenge.

He strapped two of his finest blades – well-crafted twin katana, of a sleeker build than even Leonardo's – onto his back in their sheaths. They had not been used in battle for over sixteen years, yet were still polished, pristine and, most importantly, prepared. To cover his inevitable passage in the streets, the humanoid rat retrieved a cloak of thin, black material – it would conceal himself and his blades, but was light enough to be thrown aside with a moment's notice if need be.

Moving silently, Splinter exited the dojo and descended into the pit. He crossed the area with light footsteps, and had one hand on the turnstiles when-

"Father?"

Karai stood at the edge of the pit, at the entrance to the hall housing his children's bedrooms. She eyed the swords strapped to his back, outlined through the thin fabric of his cloak. Lips pursed, she asked, "Where are you going?"

He sighed. "Miwa, you cannot expect me to forget what the Shredder has done to you."

She frowned. "You expected _me_ to forget what he had done to you and my mother..."

As another sigh tore through Splinter's body, his hand squeezed the turnstile. "That was... different. You're my child, and he took and violated you."

"He also took Mother from both of us," Karai reminded him gently, stepping closer. "There's nothing we can do to change what he has done to us and what he has taken - you taught me that." She set a hand on his shoulder. "What we can change is how much power we give him."

"Miwa..."

He turned to face her and quickly regretted it, faced with the rarity of raw emotion on her face. Karai placed her hands on his shoulders. "Please, don't let him take my father from me."

Her amber eyes were filling with tears despite her efforts to fight it, and she was biting into her lower lip. Shakily, Splinter reached a pawed hand to her black tangled hair, winding the locks around his fingers. Karai struggled to keep eye contact, repeating his promises not to harm her in her head to comfort herself.

"I do not wish for us to be separated again, my daughter," Splinter whispered, "though I admit that I still want Saki to suffer for his actions towards us."

"Me too," she admitted quietly, "but I've learned from my mistake, Father. I tried to put revenge above reason, and it turned me into a mindless freak." His breathing hitched for a moment in memory, and his hand moved to her back to hold her close. Karai gazed up at him. "If we allow our revenge to consume us, then he still wins, Master Splinter."

The humanoid rat smiled proudly at his child, tears welling in his own eyes. "How did you become so wise under the Shredder's reign?"

"Actually, I learned that from you," Karai informed him, finally closing the distance and hugging him.

Splinter held her tightly, delicately stroking her hair. Her arms wrapped around his stomach, grazing the swords strapped to his back. "Are those Leo's swords?"

He chuckled. "No, these are from my own collection. My sons are not permitted to touch them, as you will probably understand."

"Yeah, I can see that." She laughed. "Imagine if Mikey could get his hands on them!"

Her father shuddered. "I have been having trouble sleeping as it is, Miwa. Do not give me further nightmares."

Karai smirked at first, before the words really sunk in. "I... I'm sorry, Father. I shouldn't have told you so much so quickly. Guess I didn't learn as much as I thought I had from last time, huh?"

"No, my child. I needed you to tell me, so I could understand your troubles." He pulled back far enough to look her in the eyes. "Said troubles may be troubling _me_, but as your father, it is my responsibility to help you through your difficulties."

"I just..." She sighed softly. "I'm used to handling things on my own. It's weird... knowing that there's somebody - a lot of somebodies, in fact - there for me."

"Try to remember that, my daughter," Splinter said kindly. "We are your family now, and we will always be there when you need us."

To his surprise, Karai snuggled into him again. "Thank you," she breathed into his robe.

"You are my daughter, Miwa; supporting you is hardly a problem."

Though her face was hidden, he could hear her begin to cry almost inaudibly. She whimpered incoherently, and he soothingly massaged her head. Splinter murmured quietly to her, "Shh, child, shh... You are safe here, and you always will be. I love you, my Miwa." He kissed the crown of her head lightly.

She gasped, then stilled in his embrace. "Thank you," she repeated. "Thank you for everything."

"I wish I could have been with you all these lost years," Splinter sighed regretfully, "but I promise you that I will be with you for many more."

"Good," Karai replied, tilting her tear-stained face up to him. "I don't want to lose you again."

"If I have anything to say about it, you will not."

They hugged each-other for a few moments longer, both feeling safer and more grounded with the other's presence. Splinter couldn't deny the anger still burning in his chest, or the desire to avenge his wife and daughter, but there was a calming cool spreading over him. This was a feeling normally limited to meditation, but he welcomed its effects, as his breathing evened out and a small portion of the weight evaporated from his shoulders.

"Do you feel calmer, Father?" she asked, breaching the silence.

Splinter nodded. "Yes, thank you. I want revenge on the Shredder, but I believe I can handle that urge now. Thank you, Miwa."

"Thank _you_." Karai grinned at him. "You won't seek revenge alone, will you?"

"I will not," he vowed. "When the time comes, though, I insist on being the one to take Saki out. There is no chance of me placing that burden on any of my children."

Karai exhaled in relief. "That's good. I hate the Shredder with all my heart, but... I don't think I could dispose of him. Memories and everything..."

"That is understandable. My own memories of Saki still plague me, but many of them are negative, which allows me to overlook the good ones I remember."

"Do... Do you think that day will come soon?" Karai inquired tentatively.

He sighed, then lowered his head to hers. "I hope not. Though if it does, I believe we will be ready for it."

An indefinite amount of time slipped past, neither wishing to break the moment of contentedness enveloping them. However, Splinter knew that he had to let go of her, or there was a chance he never would. "Now, it is late, and we both need our rest."

Karai gave him a pointed look. "Will you actually rest, Father? Or will you just sneak out when you think I'm asleep?"

"I promise you, my daughter, I will not leave the lair tonight." He hesitated. "Whether or not I rest, however, is a different matter."

"Father," she sighed, "I'm here with you all now. Like you said, I'm safe, and it's not like anything we can do will change what Shredder did. Please, rest. It'll do you good."

Splinter smiled, his eyes soft with affection. "I will try my best. Now…" He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I would send you back to Leonardo, but evidently you can escape without his notice…"

"Actually, I wouldn't be so sure about that."

They both jumped, and turned simultaneously to see the turtle in blue lounging in the doorway where Karai had been standing originally.

The kunoichi blinked. "Wha- When did you…?"

He rolled his blue eyes. "I knew you weren't asleep, Karai; I could tell. I'll admit, I thought you were sneaking out again, but I wasn't sure, so I followed you just in case." Leo blushed slightly. "I didn't want to just ambush you if you were only going to get a glass of water or something."

"Well then," Splinter's voice brought their attention back to him. "Since Leonardo has proven he can keep track of you, Miwa, perhaps we should all get some sleep."

"That's probably a decent idea," agreed Leo, extending an arm to Karai from across the pit.

Although, Karai did not seem quite ready to let this go just yet. "You really will stay put, won't you, Master Splinter?"

"Yes, Miwa. I give you my word." He ruffled her short hair fondly. "Now go, daughter. Rest."

She looked him the eye for a long, silent second. "… Fine. Come on, Leo."

The turtle waited for her obediently, then kept one arm around her as he led her from the room. They paused at their bedroom door and glanced back at him. Leo cleared his throat. "Master Splinter? You _are_-"

"Yes, my children." He would have chuckled in amusement if he wasn't so sick of it. "Miwa has talked some sense into me; I will not be seeking revenge on Saki without proper preparation. You may rest peacefully."

Both fidgeted on the spot for a moment, met each-other's gaze, then smiled knowingly. Karai and Leo turned to their father, grinning widely. "You know what, Sensei? I think we'll do that," Leo conceded.

"Yeah," Karai added, "we have the perfect plan for it, too."

Splinter raised an eyebrow at them. "What plan?"

Twenty minutes later, Splinter bid his children goodnight with a caring chuckle, shutting the screen door to his bedroom behind him. On the other side, Karai and Leo lay together on the dojo's floor, sharing a thick training mat and some woollen blankets, using each-other as their pillows.

* * *

**Sorry about the feels overload these last couple of chapters, guys. I tried to break it up a bit, but yeah. Also, sorry if you don't like the Leorai; that's gonna be toned down a bit in the next couple chapters too, it's just that the story focuses on Karai's life and obviously that's a big part of it right now. Thanks for understanding ^^**

**Also, thank you for reading this, and if you are going to review or ever have in the past, thank you so much. Seriously, makes my day, guys. You are all the absolute best xD**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show, I'm just in love with it.**

* * *

"Isn't Crognard the Barbarian awesome?!" cheered Mikey, gripping her hand in excitement.

Karai chuckled indulgently. "I gotta admit, it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

Mikey smiled smugly. "I _knew_ you'd like it."

"If nothing else, it's better than Space Heroes."

"Well, yeah." He nudged her playfully. "That isn't exactly hard… but don't tell Leo I said so, 'kay?"

She put a finger to her lips. "Tell Leo you said what?"

He blinked. "That Space Heroes is bad."

Deciding that it wasn't worth the argument, Karai nodded her agreement, and Mikey returned his attention to the show.

For the first time in the week that Karai had lived there, the duo were alone in the living room that afternoon. Casey and April were at school, and Donnie was experimenting with some new device or other in his lab (Karai had known Donatello must have been dedicated, but she didn't realise just how introverted the genius was). She knew Leo was in his room, but he had been reading something earlier, and she didn't want to disturb him. Master Splinter had gone for a walk in the sewers, and nobody had seen Raph for a while.

"Karai?"

She suppressed the urge to jump. Speak – or think – of the devil. The red-banded turtle stood behind her, arms folded stiffly across his chest.

He tipped his head towards the dojo. "Feel like sparring for a bit?"

Karai opened her mouth to respond, but Mikey cut her off. "Raph! _I'm_ hanging out with her!"

He shrugged indifferently. "So? She's spent every second since she got here with either you, Leo, or Sensei. I bet she's sick of you already."

The younger turtle whipped around to Karai for denial. She smiled. "I'm not sick of you, Mikey."

"Ha!"

"But-" Mikey frowned; Karai patted his knee. "Raph has a point. Besides," Karai winked at him, "you can tell me what happens next when I get back."

Instantly, his demeanour returned to normal. "No way! I don't give out spoilers."

"Then we'll just have to catch the re-run."

The kunoichi clapped Mikey on the shoulder as she stood, following a stoic Raph to the dojo. He strode confidently ahead of her, not checking to see if she followed. He close the screen door behind her, ensuring that it was shut.

Habitually, she rolled her shoulders, stretching her muscles in preparation. "So, rules of the spar?"

Also stretching, he answered, "No rules. Just try to keep your blood off the dojo floor."

"Oh, is that what you usually do?" she teased.

He growled. "You're going down!"

"Am I hell!"

Raphael swung his sai at Karai's head, missing by an inch as she dodged. She sliced her tantõ through the air at him as she turned, but he pinned her arm behind her back.

"Sloppy mistake, princess," he hissed.

"If you say so," she replied.

She slammed the handle of her sword into the turtle's thigh, causing him to drop down to one knee as he cried out. Though he still kept hold of her arm, and pulled her down with him. He secured both his arms around her, pinning her own to her sides, and held his sai against her throat.

"Yeah, I would say so." Raph smirked at her as she fruitlessly struggled for freedom.

But Karai wasn't going down without a fight. She lifted her legs into the air and stomped hard on his feet. As he yelled in pain, his grip weakened, and she broke free. The girl leapt just out of his reach and lowered herself into a fighting stance, beckoning him forward with a wave of her hand and a confident grin.

"Well, I wouldn't," she informed him.

Growling, Raph flung himself at the kunoichi, knocking her sword away with his sai and tackling her to the ground. He pinned her firmly to the ground; her arms were secured above her head, and her legs were trapped between his own. She tried to squirm away, but Raph had no intention of letting her.

"Okay, so you got lucky," Karai conceded, "well done." The girl cried out in surprise, twisting to the side as a sai's hilt suddenly hit the space her head had been occupying. "What the hell?!" She elbowed him in the face and leapt to her feet in his moment of distraction.

However, said moment ended quickly, and when he looked back up she noticed the fresh unadulterated fury in his green eyes. Her heart began palpitating in anxiety as she comprehended the real danger she was in. He winded her with a hard punch to the stomach, then kicked her legs out from under her. Her back hit the floor with a horrible smack, and her vision blurred. He pinned her again, this time abandoning his sai in favour of just pounding her. Large green hands twisted her arms beneath her painfully, forcing both his and her weight onto them.

His knees pressed hard on her own, pushing them to an awkward angle. Then his fists were flying at her, slamming any area of her torso they could reach. The motion sent her head bouncing up and down, and she winced each time it whacked the floor. And the whole time, the look on Raphael's face wasn't Raphael. It was a look she knew all too well: Vengeance. Dark, detached vengeance. She knew it. He had been harbouring resentment for her actions all along – maybe they all had been.

Terror boiling over, Karai began to scream, but it was interrupted by her own gasp of pain as he drove a firm punch into her nose. Her head whipped to the side, and blood spattered his fist and the dojo's floor. Having had her last tentative grasp on rationality broken, Karai dissolved completely, tears pooling involuntarily in her eyes as she began to hyperventilate.

Thankfully though, Raph's anger seemed to be subsiding. He glanced between his bloodied hand and her bloodied nose, then the bloodied floor beside them. "For crying out loud, Karai," he finally said, his voice thick, "I told you to keep your blood _off_ the floor."

His attempt at a joke hung awkwardly between them, growing stale in the air. Karai squeezed her eyes closed, trying to regulate her breathing, looking like she was anticipating something. Raph watched the confusion flood across her face when he lifted himself off her and eased her into a sitting position.

"Careful," he instructed her, untangling her arms with one hand and pressing the other against her nose gently, hoping the wraps would soak up some of the blood. "If you move too quick you'll get a head-rush, and that definitely won't help."

She started to slouch in on herself defensively, but he shook his head. "No, sit up straight. Just tilt your head forward a bit."

Recognising that for the moment he was no longer a threat, Karai obeyed, reaching for her nose. When he brushed her hands back down, he raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you meant to pinch your nose?" she asked shakily, her voice stuffy.

"Your nose might be broken, idiot. Wanna break it more?" A conflicted expression crossed his face. "I did hit ya pretty hard." Karai looked down while she tried to think of something to say, but Raph moved her head back to its original position. "Not that far forward, or you'll get dizzy."

When it was clear she wasn't going to reply, Raph undid the wrappings on his stained hand and bunched them up, holding them to her nose. Her hands curled around his singular one, and he let her take the cloth. She didn't relinquish his scaled hand.

After she had calmed down enough, he softly investigated her swollen nose, grimacing when he heard little clicks and cracks. "Yeah, I'm thinkin' that might be some kind of break. Here, I'll take you to Don."

"Raphael?" He almost chuckled at her muffled voice. "Why are you helping me?"

He sighed, and mumbled, "'Cause I shouldn't have hurt ya. At least, not this bad."

The turtle uncomfortably shuffled closer to her, and enfolded her in his arms. His embrace was stiff and awkward, like he wasn't accustomed to it, but she huddled in anyway, if only because his cradles felt so much better than his punches. She tucked her arm around his neck, her other hand covering her nose with the fabric. Her head slotted into the crook of her neck, with his own lolling against it.

"For the record, this is a one-off thing," Raph told her. "Don't get used to this."

"Which, you hugging me or hitting me?" Karai chuckled.

"Hugging you," he elaborated. "We're siblings now; we'll be hitting each-other regularly."

He said they were siblings. Karai couldn't hide her smile. "Most times won't end with a broken nose though, right?"

He huffed, hugging her even tighter. "Only if you do something as stupid as running off after Shredder again."

She tensed. "Oh. So that _is_ what this is about."

Raph was practically crushing her into his plastron by now. "Karai, what is _wrong_ with you?! Did you really think you could take on _the_ _Shredder_ by yourself? He taught you, he knows your fighting style." He relaxed his grip, but kept a firm hold of her. "We could've helped you. Taught you new skills, backed you up… You could've been happy with us. We could've been a family."

Karai tried to inhale through her nose, but found it difficult. Her voice was a lot less steady than she would've liked when she whispered, "Is that still an option?"

He lightly swatted the back of her head. "What do you freaking think?"

* * *

"Hmm…" Donatello muttered, carefully prodding his sister's swollen nose. "Yeah, I'm thinking a minor break. It's stopped bleeding though, there's no external cuts, and it's not crooked or deformed – all good signs. I'd say keep an ice-pack on it," Karai gratefully accepted the one he offered, "for about fifteen minutes every couple hours for the next few days, maybe take some painkillers – I'm sure April can take you to a pharmacy – and prop your head up on some pillows when you lie down. And, y'know, don't hit your head or face on anything, obviously." He smiled sympathetically. "You won't be able to train, either."

"Until?"

"Until it's healed. That should be about six weeks."

"That's all kinda vague, Don. Any definite answers?" asked Raph from the doorway.

Donnie and Karai both jumped; Raph had been silent so long, they had forgotten he was there. "Raphael, I can't pinpoint healing to the nanosecond. Every case is different."

Karai didn't really hear her scientific brother, as she focused on Raph. He had been in the lab as long as she had, but not beside her, not in a comforting touch or soothing murmur when she flinched in pain, like Donnie had. No, Raph had stood woodenly in the doorway, arms rigidly folded over his plastron. But she could still decipher the tiniest glimmer of care in his eyes, with an even smaller hint of guilt.

"Wait, bro, you can't go in there!"

Everyone's eyes widened at the sound of Mikey's panic-stricken voice. He had been put on 'Leo Watch', as much to keep the little turtle from fussing wildly around the lab as Leo himself. Raph turned to glance over his shoulder, and was promptly shoved aside. The blue-banded turtle strode into the room, an anxious Mikey at his heels.

"Karai!" snapped Donnie suddenly, taking her head in his hands gently. She had whipped around instinctively as Leo entered, not wanting him to see her injury straight away. Donnie tugged the ice-pack away from her nose and checked for bleeding, thankfully finding none. Replacing the ice-pack, he glared at her. "I didn't think I needed to specify _not_ giving yourself whiplash!"

The kunoichi couldn't help smirking. "Well, I think doctors should be thorough."

Mikey laughed, before quickly realising it may have been a bad idea. "Uh, sorry, D. if it counts for anything – which I doubt – I was laughing at her voice, not you."

"Gee, thanks, Mikey," Karai commented, rolling her eyes.

"That isn't polite, Mikey," Leo informed him, beore stepping closer to the girl. "He does have a point though, Rai; what's up with your voice?" Another step. "And why are you holding an ice-pack?" Now, he was near enough to place a hand on the back of her neck. "Are you okay?"

"It's…" She shifted to face him. Blue eyes widened. "It's just a little break. No big deal. Nothing serious."

His huge, calloused hands cupped her face cautiously, tilting her head slightly to see past the ice-pack. "Karai…" he crooned quietly. Wide, reptilian lips brushed the damaged appendage, and she smiled. "How did you break it?"

Raph sighed heavily. "We were sparring in the dojo, and-"

"I hit myself in the face with the hilt of my tantõ," finished Karai hastily.

Leo tutted playfully, but lifted her into his lap. "Well done, stupid."

The red-banded turtle watched uneasily as Karai batted at Leo, who gathered her into a cuddle. Throat choked, he admitted, "That's not true, Leo. She lied about the tantõ to protect me. Truth is, we were sparring, and I lost control of my temper. I… I pinned her down and beat on 'er until she started bleeding. That was when I realised I'd gone too far." He sighed again. "I'm sorry, Leo."

There was an awkward silence, followed by, "I don't think I'm who you should apologise to."

Raph groaned. "Right again, Fearless." He knelt to be eye-level with Karai. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost control like that."

"I deserved it."

"No, you didn't," Leo denied immediately.

"Yeah, she did," Raph argued. "She turned her back on us and ditched us to go after Shred-head. And she gave up on us when the retro-mutagen didn't work." Karai nodded solemnly at each point. He turned to her again. "That's why I did it; I was angry."

"Is that why you wanted to spar with her?" questioned Mikey timidly.

"No." He shook his head firmly. "I wanted to spend some time with her, but I couldn't think of anything other than ninjutsu that we had in common. I thought I'd be able to control myself, but obviously not."

The kunoichi didn't reply, but when her eyes met Raph's, her emotions were displayed clearly in them. The turtle saw understanding and forgiveness among the amber, along with hope.

Leo sighed regretfully, and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Raph… I understand that you're sorry, but you can't treat people – especially family – like this."

"I… I know, Leo, I just-"

"Leonardo, don't worry. He's explained himself with valid points, and I know as well as anyone how badly emotions can spring up and control you." Karai touched Raph's arm. "I forgive you, Raph, if you can forgive me."

He ruffled her hair. "I already have, sis."

She dipped her head in gratitude, and Donnie fussily re-adjusted it. Raph's mouth quirked upwards as he carefully tucked his arm around her.

After a few moments, Mikey tentatively raised his hand. "Uh… I hate to be the downer, but what're we gonna tell Master Splinter?"

* * *

**You know, I really didn't want to make Raph a complete A-hole in this, but I think I kinda did... so, sorry. The idea is that they've all forgiven him, so I'm hoping that you readers will, too ;)**

**Anyway, thank you all for reading, and if you review, then thanks for that too. Not gonna lie, they totally make my day xD**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Ninja Turtles... Please don't sue me ^^**

* * *

Already sick of everyone's worrying, Karai calmly approached the couch with an ice-pack in hand. Mikey, leaping up from his seat on the floor, cautiously took hold of her shoulders and helped her sit, while Leo – who had tailed her to and from the kitchen – arranged a plush pillow for her to rest her head on.

Frustrated with them both, she frowned. "Why are you guys doing this?"

Leo lowered her head to the pillow with both hands as Mikey propped her feet up on the table to let her recline. "Because you got hurt," the blue-clad turtle answered simply.

"So?" She hadn't meant to be snappy with them, but they really were getting on her nerves now. Raph had injured her nose three days ago, and still her brothers wouldn't stop fussing. "You must get hurt in battle all the time; are you this attentive to each-other over something as little as a broken nose?"

The two terrapin brothers exchanged an awkward glance, before turning to Karai with a blush. She gave them a pointed stare as she placed her feet on the floor, sitting up. "See? Why are you over-doing things so much with me, then?"

"Well…" Mikey knelt in front of her, blue eyes honest as always. "It's because you're our sister, and you're so… uh… breakable."

"Fragile," corrected Leo habitually.

"Yeah, you're so fragile," continued Mikey.

Karai glared. "I can't be that fragile; I survived life with the Shredder."

Both turtles winced. Leo joined her on the couch, taking one of her hands in his. "Yeah, but how often did you part with your armour and weapons to just relax when you were with the Shredder?"

She blinked in surprise; she hadn't even realised she was unarmed until Leo pointed it out. "I-I…"

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, keeping the pillow between his muscles and her head. "You see? We want to look after you, Karai, that's all. We have shells and plastrons _all_ the time, but you only wear armour _some_times."

"Well, I could wear it constantly-"

"No, because then you'd be constantly on-edge," Leo smoothed her bangs down absent-mindedly, "and that would certainly break _my_ heart. Mikey?"

The usually excitable turtle nodded seriously. "Me too, dude."

Karai bit her lip, not wanting to admit that Leo had a point. He squeezed her tighter. "Sorry if we're being too overprotective, Karai, but it's just because we love you."

Mikey hugged her around the waist. "Mm-hmm. We love you so much, sis."

"You... You love me?" She glanced between the two turtles in front of her, but the answer came from behind as Raph swatted her shoulder.

"Of course we do, ya numbskull," he replied, rolling his eyes as he slumped on the couch beside her lazily, a bowl of popcorn under one arm.

"Yeah, you're our sister, Karai," added Donnie, entering with another two bowls of popcorn. He passed one to Leo, and held the other out of Mikey's reach.

Karai pulled her legs up onto the couch and folded them underneath her. She held her head up, but Leo made sure it was supported by the pillow anyway. She smiled slightly. "Thank you, guys. I... I, uh-"

"It's cool, sis," Mikey assured her, "we know what you mean. You don't have to say it out loud."

Her eyes softened, and she breathed out another, "Thank you."

Donnie prodded her arm teasingly. "Hey, I thought you weren't good at saying 'thank you'."

The fact that he had remembered such a small detail stretched the smile across her face. "I guess all the practice has helped."

* * *

Patrols had resumed in the days following Karai's injury (which, as terrible as it sounded, had been a rather convenient excuse for Leo to keep her off them), but the turtles had been given the night off to watch a movie with their sister. Mikey even managed to convince their Sensei to watch with them, with the use of pleading and puppy-dog eyes. Splinter deemed it worth watching the silly movie, if only for the quality time with his children and the smile on his lost daughter's face.

Karai found herself dozing off slightly, and she felt Leo draw her closer in her half-awake state. Her kunoichi instincts wouldn't let her fall asleep completely with all the background noise, but she eventually stopped fighting the urge to close her eyes.

Evidently, they all assumed she _had_ actually fallen asleep, because when the movie ended, they all spoke in hushed tones.

"Hey, is she sleeping?" whispered Donnie.

She felt Leo nod against her.

"Aww, she looks so cute," Mikey cooed. Karai assumed the hand that began stroking her leg belonged to the orange-clad turtle.

The hand was quickly removed. "Mikey, stop it," Raph hissed.

"But-"

"Raphael is right, Michelangelo," said Splinter quietly. "Miwa seems peaceful; let us not disturb her."

"She sleeps quite well, actually; I'm not sure what Casey meant," Leo whispered. "Sometimes she'll wake up in the night, but as far as I'm aware, she pretty much goes straight back to sleep."

"Maybe she got over the nightmares, then," suggested Raph.

"Probably," Donnie agreed. "Either that, or Leo's just a comforting presence to her."

"Will she be okay when her room's ready, then? If she needs Leo to sleep?" Mikey inquired innocently.

She felt Leo's sigh. "I hope so. I'm not sure I will, though; I've gotten quite used to her being around."

"You'll survive, Fearless." Karai could just imagine Raph rolling his eyes.

Leo nuzzled closer to her. "Yeah..."

Master Splinter's robe rustled as he moved towards them, and his sleeve brushed her cheek as he placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Leonardo, I am sure Miwa will require her own space, as much as I think you two enjoy each-other's company."

"I know, Sensei," he said with another sigh. "It's just gonna be weird without her again."

"She will only be down the hall, my son."

There was a long pause, before Raph asked, "We're gonna have to wake her up, right? Unless you're plannin' to leave her on the couch all night."

Leo's arms - or, at least, she presumed they were Leo's - wrapped around her, curving behind her shoulders and under her knees. "It's okay, I'll just carry her to bed," he murmured softly, lifting her up.

"...Can I still kiss her goodnight?" Mikey questioned hesitantly.

"Sure, just don't wake her up."

Two pairs of lips - Mikey's, then Donnie's - brushed her cheek, and a long second passed before a third pair followed. Her father leaned over to kiss her forehead, and she mentally smiled as his beard tickled her face. Apparently, goodnight-kissing had been a concept Mikey used to initiate in the turtles' younger years, and it had recently been re-instated with Karai's arrival.

After bidding everyone goodnight, Leo carried her through to their bedroom. She felt an extra hand curl around the back of her head, raising it slightly. "Keep her head up, Leo."

"I know, Don, I'm just trying to carry her."

"Sorry, I just don't want her to get hurt." A moment of silence, then, "Leo, you know what I said the other day about-"

"Donnie, I already told you: I don't know why she freaked out so much when Raph hit her."

"I know, but it was scary. When Raph brought her in she was shaking and crying, and he said she was hyperventilating before that, like she was having a panic attack, and-"

"You told me, remember? If she says anything to me about it, I'll tell you, unless she asks me to keep it a secret."

"Okay. Thanks, Leo."

Donnie's footsteps thudded away softly, and Leo began walking again. Karai felt herself stirring as Leo lay her down on the bed, but he gently hushed her and kissed her cheek. She returned to her not-quite-sleeping state for a short moment, until Leo began removing her jeans.

Her eyes shot open, and she glared accusingly at him. He blushed, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't want to wake you, but I thought you wouldn't want to sleep in jeans, and..."

Grinning in understanding, Karai kicked her jeans off the remainder of the way and pulling off her black top. Leo's blush darkened, and he averted his eyes as she removed her bra and put on her hockey jersey, only daring to peek after she had assured him three times that she was decent.

He disarmed himself and untied his mask, then slipped into the bed beside her. The turtle cuddled closer and pecked her on the cheek again. She stifled an unwanted giggle, but Leo being Leo seemed to hear it anyway and gave her an adorable smile. "Why are you _always_ paying attention?"

Leo shrugged half-heartedly. "Because I'm tuned in to you?"

The turtle rose to turn off the lights, then immediately returned to her side. Karai waited until his breathing had evened out, before whispering, "And when I get my room, I'll miss you, too."

Part of her had known he was still awake, but part of her still gasped in surprise as he clutched her tighter.

* * *

A week or so later, and Karai's new bedroom was finally finished.

The walls were painted a light green colour, and there was a scroll decorated with a cherry blossom pattern hanging on one wall. Against the opposite wall was an old mirror, positioned over a small, slightly lopsided dresser that Donnie had found at the junkyard, which happened to be where most of the lair's furniture actually came from. The purple-clad brother had also enlisted Raph's help in repairing a damaged wooden bedframe he'd discovered, and it could now support the mattress Leo had helped Karai carry down to the lair. April and Angel had chosen her bedding with her, but she managed to talk them into letting her have relatively plain bedding with a Japanese-inspired floral pattern.

Karai couldn't help smiling as she set her duffel bag of belongings down on her new bed.

"Wow," she heard Leo breathe behind her, "this place looks really cool."

"Thank you, but I had a lot of help." She sat down on the bed and grinned up at Leo. "Though, it _is_ a lot better than my old room at the Foot."

An uncomfortable silence fell over them, until Karai stood and placed a hand on his arm. "Leo?"

"Yeah?"

She swallowed nervously. "I… I think I'll be okay, but-"

"If you have any nightmares, you know where I am," he interrupted kindly.

The kunoichi narrowed her eyes at him. "How would you know if that's what I was going to ask? I could have just been asking whether or not you'd seen my T-phone."

Donatello had given her the gadget a few days after she moved in, and she had yet to tell anyone how much she loved it. Leo, of course, had figured it out, but that was beside the point. The blue-clad turtle sighed and shook his head. "Okay, okay, sorry for assuming. By the way," Leo produced a T-phone with a black shell, "I have actually seen your phone."

She blinked in surprise momentarily, before smirking and holding out another T-phone. "And I've seen yours."

Chuckling, they exchanged phones, and slipped into a more familiar kind of silence. Karai drew her legs up onto the bed and kicked off her boots, before reconsidering and standing up. Duffel bag in hand, she made her way over to the dresser, pausing to glance over her shoulder at Leo to say, "Wanna help me unpack?"

Leo blushed again. "Uh, I don't think that's a good idea. I mean, won't you have, like, _all_ your clothes and stuff in there, and, uh…"

She didn't even try to subdue her laugh. "Alright, you don't have to help, but I really do need to unpack. Can you handle being in the same room as _all_ my clothes?"

The turtle hesitated awkwardly, eyes glazed over. Judging by the embarrassed expression on his face when Karai's voice brought him back to reality and the nervous excuse he stammered out as he left, Karai presumed he had been imagining watching her unpack her things and had decided that no, he could not handle it.

Laughing to herself, she unzipped the bag and began unpacking.

"Miwa?"

"Hello, Father," she greeted happily. There was a time when saying those words would make her shudder and cringe inside, but now, they were warm and welcoming.

Much like the smile on Master Splinter's face as he kindly asked, "Do you like your new room?"

She beamed at him. "I love it," she answered honestly, putting down the bag and crossing the room to hug him.

"Good." He hugged her back gladly, savouring the contact with his daughter. "And are you happy here?"

"Definitely," Karai promised. "You and the guys have been so welcoming, and this lair is way nicer than you'd expect a sewer-home to be. I'm glad I've actually had enough to time to appreciate that this time."

Splinter's breathing paused momentarily with the memory, but he regained control very quickly and rubbed the back of her head. "Thank goodness you _have_ stayed, my child. I had adapted to life with my sons, but your presence is a gift I could have never anticipated."

"I never thought I'd end up with a rat for a father and four turtle brothers, either," she quipped teasingly.

He rolled his eyes at her, but it was a fond gesture. "I will leave you in peace for now, Miwa. Will you be joining us for lunch?"

"Of course," Karai replied without thinking. "See you then."

Her father gave her shoulder one last squeeze, then left her alone in her room once more. Karai turned back to the dresser to begin packing again, before she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. The girl staring back at her still had the same make-up, but she also had an overgrown bob of black hair hanging freely around her face, a pleased smile that reached right up to her eyes, and a newly formed bruise on her shoulder.

_"__Ow! Leo, did you just _bite _me?!"_

_"__Sorry! I didn't mean to; I was just kissing! Are you hurt?"_

_"__Very. In fact, I'm so hurt, that I think I'll need your help with something."_

_"… __What are you going to make me do?"_

_"__Hmm… I don't know, just remember that you owe me one."_

She smirked fondly at the memory, then blushed when she realised how painfully obvious it must have been to Splinter. _Oh well, _she thought. _Nothing I can do about it now. _Her smile faltered, though, as she struggled to work out why the image seemed so weird.

However, Karai realised quickly why the image seemed so strange. She was searching the glass for Oroku Karai, but the girl looking back was _Hamato_ Karai.

* * *

**OMG THE FEELS FROM TALE OF THE YOKAI! Thank goodness I had this written up, because I've literally spent this week alternating between fangirling over baby Miwa and just crying from the feelings (even though I knew what was going to happen).**

**Quick note, my update next week might be late, because I've hardly got anything written, and I'm going out for dinner with my family next Thursday (at a place called Leonardo's, ironically xD). So if it's late, sorry.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading/reviewing/following/favourite-ing, and I'll see you next week... hopefully on time xD**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.**

**Ugh, this chapter :/ I won't even lie, this is my least favourite chapter so far, but it sets up the next chapter, and that's a key moment in the story. Also, another two-parter, which means I've gotta get a chapter out on Sunday. Yay...**

**Sorry, another note (it's another Guest review reply, but it's something I've been meaning to bring up anyway): I didn't take offence or anything, and honestly I kind of agree that I'm writing everyone a bit OOC. I've been trying to re-watch some earlier episodes of the show to gain a better perspective, but it's quite hard for me to work out how they might interact with Karai as her little brothers because the show hasn't tackled that properly yet (in my opinion). Also, Karai has ended up quite OOC because I'm trying not to gloss over the effects that abuse can have on someone, and in Karai's case for this story, it's made her quite vulnerable, which she hides under her confidence, and that's pretty crucial to the plot of this (yes, believe it or not, this piece of crap does actually have a plot). I'm trying to convey the idea that, as a family, they can all be really open with each-other emotionally, but if people don't like reading that, then please tell me. I want to make the story the best I can for you all :)**

* * *

Karai bolted awake with a scream, short of breath with a cold sweat on her brow. Once she realised it had merely been another nightmare, she swore angrily under her breath. She wiped an arm across her forehead and fell back against the pillow, her heart racing and her breathing heavy.

A timid knock sounded on the door, and she sighed in anticipation of Leonardo. This meant she was quite surprised when Donatello's voice sounded out. "Karai? Are you okay?"

She blinked in surprise. She was aware that her purple-clad brother's room was next door, but when she actually went to bed (after spending a good hour trying to convince Leo she would be okay), he had still been in his lab. Based on what she had been told, she hadn't expected Donnie to have returned to his room that night.

"I… Yeah, I am," she called softly. "You can come in, you know."

He hesitated a moment, before creaking open the door and slipping into the room quietly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I just had a nightmare." The kunoichi sighed in frustration, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I'm fine."

Donnie shut the door quietly, after checking to make sure nobody else was on their way to the room. He crossed the room and perched himself on the edge of her bed. "Do you… want to talk about it?"

"No," she assured him, shaking her head. "I really don't. But, you get points for trying."

"I'm not done yet," he teased gently. He moved closer and wrapped one arm around her shoulders.

Karai chuckled, leaning into his embrace. "You know, you didn't strike me as a cuddler."

He shrugged. "I'm not, really. But when you live with Mikey, you don't get much of a choice. Besides, cuddling isn't the worst thing."

"What _would_ you class as the worst thing?"

"As if I'm stupid enough to tell you."

Her arm looped around his neck and she snuggled closer, snickering to herself with a grin. "You really are the smart turtle."

"Well, you _have_ met my competition." He chuckled to himself.

Karai laughed. "I'm so telling the guys tomorrow."

"No, you are not." The tall turtle captured her in his arms tightly, pinning her to his plastron. "I'll lock you in my lab until you promise not to…"

"Wow." She rolled her eyes. "You are _much_ more ridiculous than I thought you were."

Donnie grinned. "We're all ridiculous here, Karai. After all, we're a family of mutants." The kunoichi tensed up beside him, and though she hurriedly tried to rectify it, Donnie still took note of it. "Was that what your nightmare was about?" he whispered.

She paused, then shook her head. "No," Karai answered honestly. "Not this time."

He frowned. "Do you normally have nightmares about your mutation?"

"… Sometimes," she admitted tentatively. "I have more nightmares about Shredder, though."

"I can imagine."

"I really doubt it..."

"Well... Do you wanna tell me?" he questioned.

She shook her head firmly. He waited for a further response, but none came. The siblings fell into another silence, until Donnie broke it by clearing his throat.

He ruffled her hair playfully, then stood to leave. "Think you can go back to sleep now?"

Karai fidgeted with the duvet for a moment, before nodding uncertainly. "I'll be okay."

"Okay," he sighed reluctantly. "Just making sure..."

The turtle backed out of the room hesitantly, shutting the door behind him. Karai sighed regretfully after he left, almost wishing he had put up more of a fight to stay. "You'll be alright, Karai," she told herself. "Stop being so paranoid."

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, Donnie was positioned silently on the other side of the door, listening intently. He stayed just long enough to hear her whimpering sobs, and felt his heart physically clench to hear her in pain. Until he had an idea. With a devious smile budding on his face, Donnie snuck back to his own room, sparing only a few seconds to open her door and whisper, "Go to sleep, Karai."

* * *

When Karai was awoken the next morning by a strange sense, she put it down to lingering uncertainty for her nightmares. Which was why, when she spotted Mikey lying on the bed with a smile an inch from her face, she screamed in fear and jumped backwards. She fell backwards off the edge of the bed, into Leo's waiting arms.

After glancing around and noting that Raph and Donnie were also both present, Karai glanced up at Leo for an explanation. "Leo, what's going on?"

Grinning as deviously as the rest of their brothers, Leo squeezed her tightly, pinning her arms to her sides. "Actually, this was Donnie's idea, not mine. Although, it was about time anyway."

"About time for _what_?" she asked, growing irritated.

His grin widened, and for the first time in a long time, she was almost afraid of him. "Clan initiation."

* * *

Despite her quite angry requests, Karai's brothers wouldn't let her get showered or changed before the 'initiation', and only gave her evil smirks when she requested getting some breakfast first, saying that she would get something to eat later.

"Okay, first challenge," declared Mikey dramatically, sweeping his arms in the direction of the algae pool in Donnie's lab.

"Are you going to tell me what's happening first?" questioned Karai. Leo and Raph were both restraining her now, though she was growing less anxious around them so she wasn't flailing as much.

"Well, big sis, if you _really_ wanna be part of the clan, you've gotta _prove_ _it_," Mikey told her jokingly, leaning so close to her face that when he stuck his tongue out teasingly at her, she felt it brush her nose.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do I prove it?"

He grinned. "By completing our challenges."

"… Mikey?"

"Yeah?"

"What are the challenges?!"

"Oh, yeah, right." He dragged her forward excitedly by the collar of her shirt, gesturing at the algae pool before them. "K'so, you know how we like to go algae-diving in this pool? Well, _that's_ your first challenge."

"But be careful with your nose," warned Donnie.

Karai rolled her eyes. "You're such a parent, Donatello. I don't need another father."

"Wait…" Leo's eyes widened. "We probably should've thought of this sooner, but Rai, do you have a bathing suit?"

The awkward silence that followed was almost palpable.

Mikey tilted his head in confusion. "I thought humans wore stuff under their clothes that they swim in?"

The girl chuckled. "Actually Mikey, we don't swim in our underwear. You're thinking of bikinis."

"… What's the difference?"

Karai paused, and smirked. "Not a lot, honestly."

"Then you can just wear that, right?"

Her heart clenched, but she berated herself immediately. Steeling herself, Karai squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the jersey over her head. When she reopened them, she was greeting with three turtles awkwardly scrambling to look away and one that was honest enough to keep the expression of awe on his orange-clad face.

Tossing the jersey to the floor and folding her arms, she shrugged. "What? I don't care if you look."

Her other three brothers still very pointedly averted their eyes, while Mikey took a step forward. "You've got lines on your stomach."

She glanced down at her abdominals, then smirked at him. "They're muscles, Mikey. I bet you have them too, but they're under your shell."

"Cool!" exclaimed the innocent little turtle. "Man, humans look weird without their clothes."

"Which is _yet_ _another_ reason why telling our sister to just _swim_ _in_ _her_ _underwear_ _in_ _front_ _of_ _us _is a _bad_ _idea!_" Donnie had clamped both hands over his eyes, so he kicked wildly in what he hoped was Mikey's direction.

"What's the big deal?" asked Karai casually, concealing a flinch of fear as Mikey began tracing a finger along her abdominal muscles.

"Well, I mean, it's... _private_, and we don't want you to get the wrong idea," Leo struggled to explain, blushing fervently.

"And, speaking for myself, I prefer you with clothes on," added Raph, thoroughly uncomfortable with the situation.

Mikey, on the other hand, wrapped his arms around her, murmured about how she was "so warm" into her shoulder, then turned to his brothers and asked, "Well what else was she gonna go algae-diving in? And anyway Don, it was your idea!"

"To put her through initiation, yes, not to make her strip!"

"It doesn't matter," she interrupted. "Now, what do I have to do for your stupid challenge?"

"You've gotta jump in," Mikey paused to demonstrate, splashing his brothers in the process, "catch some algae from the bottom of the pool with a net - the nets are in that corner there - and then come up."

Karai's eyebrow quirked. "Oh. Is _that_ all?"

Mikey's face became serious. "For the _first_ challenge, sis."

She held his gaze evenly, until he broke away because he was too excited to stand still any longer. Then, she strode across the room to get a net. By the time she returned, Raph and Donnie had overcome their awkwardness and could actually meet her eyes, but Leo was still very focused on the wall.

Raph groaned loudly. "For the love of- Leo, she's still got her underwear on. Mikey's got a point; it _has_ got the same coverage as a bathing suit. Let's just get this over with already!"

Mikey glanced at Karai. "Want me to count you in?"

The kunoichi grinned. "No need, brother."

She slipped into the water confidently, net in hand, before realising why this was a challenge. The algae in the water was horribly slimed on her skin, and she found herself shuddering involuntarily, though she wasn't sure if it was because of the algae or the freezing water. Briefly, she wondered whether it was any easier to face with leathery scales and a thick shell, because she was struggling to find the willpower to put her head under the water.

"Givin' up already, princess?" Raph taunted from the side-lines, and that was all she needed to dive under.

However, what she hadn't counted on was how badly the water - or the algae - stung when she tried to open her eyes, leaving her with no way to tell where she should swing the net. Trying to think it through, she attempted to judge where the algae was gathering by how much of it she could feel rubbing against her, though it still ended in her blindly swinging the net in a certain direction. _Why am I doing this?_ Karai found herself questioning quite regularly, especially when her brothers' laughter began to echo down. Although, when the net began to feel heavier, she managed to peek through the water, and felt utmost relief at the site of the algae collected in the net.

In an almost fluid motion, she swam to the surface, flung the net at Donnie, snatched the towel Leo offered, and left the lab, calling over her shoulder, "I am taking a fucking shower."

The boys just stared after her, with a mixture of confusion and amusement.

* * *

Karai exited the bathroom, dressed in jeans and a vest top with her hair damp around her face, to find Raph stood right in front of her.

A three-fingered hand grabbed her arm. "Come on. Next challenge is in the kitchen."

She twirled a lock of wet hair around her finger. "Sure. Just let me dry my hair and-"

"No can do." He began dragging her in the direction of the kitchen. "That's why they sent me; least likely to cave and let you talk me out of it."

"What am I gonna try to talk you out of?" questioned Karai. "The algae thing wasn't that bad, just kinda gross."

Raph chuckled. "Sister, if you thought _that_ was gross..."

He sat her down at the kitchen table, and Mikey proudly placed a bowl of what she presumed was soup in front of her. She blinked. "Okay?"

The young turtle grinned maniacally. "You gotta eat it."

"Generally how food works," she agreed. "What's the catch?"

He leaned in far too close, and his grin widened. "It's sewer water."

"… What?"

"It's water from the sewers," he repeated, his tone far too cheery for what he was saying. "Not boiled, not filtered, just straight from the sewers."

She eyed the bowl with hesitant disgust. The liquid was dark and murky, but didn't smell as bad as the outside of the lair. Were they pranking her? She wouldn't put it past any of them, Mikey especially. _Unless that's what they want you to think, _the strategist in her mused.

"Well, c'mon," Raph pushed from the side. "It'll be worse if it goes cold."

Looking at the contents of the bowl made her stomach churn, and stirring the provided spoon through the liquid and discovering chunks didn't help. But one glance up into her brothers' eyes, and Karai knew they were lying; their eyes held too much care for a group that were feeding their sister sewage and risking her health.

So, with easy confidence, the girl drank a spoonful of the soup. Despite its foul taste, she finished the soup quickly, whether it was due to her actual hunger or the urge to get this ridiculous initiation over with so they would all stop staring at her. Dropping the spoon into the empty bowl with a clatter, Karai glanced up at her astounded brothers. "Are we done now?"

Mikey recovered immediately. "With the second challenge, but you've still got one more to go before you've passed the initiation!"

"Come with us." Donnie motioned her through to the lair's living room, Mikey bouncing at his side.

As Karai stood, Raph strolled past her with a smirk on his lips. "Wow, Karai. I didn't think you wanted to be in the clan _that_ much." When he was almost out of the room, he turned back to say, "By the way, that was actually sewage."

Her face blanched, and Raph exited with an evil laugh. She had just clapped a hand over her mouth to hold back her nausea when Leo passed her and whispered, "It totally wasn't, don't worry. Well done."

Chuckling to herself at the antics of her new family, Karai followed her brothers to the next and final challenge.


	19. Chapter 19

"Okay, so what's the last stupid challenge?" Karai questioned, her hands on her hips.

Mikey checked over each shoulder, motioned her closer, and whispered conspiratorially, "_Tickle_ _torture_."

"Wait, wha- No!" Karai shrieked in protest. Raph seized her in a fireman's lift over one shoulder - already tickling her midsection - as Mikey and Donnie captured her arms and legs. She screamed again, this time mixed with laughter. "Leo, help me!"

Leo laughed too as he ran alongside his brothers in the direction of Mikey's room. "Sorry, no can do; this is necessary clan imitation, Rai."

As Mikey clapped one hand over Karai's mouth to stifle her screaming, Leo paused and glanced back at the mildly concerned Splinter watching from the dojo. "Don't worry, Sensei, we won't do anything too bad to her. Just some friendly tickling."

"Hmm..." Splinter folded his arms. "I suppose I will have to trust you, Leonardo. Though _do_ _not_ think you have fooled me; I know about the algae pool... _and_ Michelangelo's apparent latest recipe."

The blue-clad turtle smirked nervously, before bolting to join his brothers once he felt it was allowed.

When he joined them, Karai was flat on her back on Mikey's bed, with Raphael holding her arms over her head and Mikey and Donnie each taking one of her legs. Her underarms and feet were being attacked mercilessly, so Leo chose to straddle her waist and work on her midsection after he had closed the door.

Playful betrayal flashed through her eyes as he lifted her shirt to get at her ribs. "Leo," she gasped between giggles, "how... could you?!"

He smiled down at her. "Sorry, Rai, but I can't have them think I'm playing favourites." Leo leaned in to kiss her, but pulled back quickly when she tried to bite his lip. "Well, now I have a _personal_ reason to punish you. C'mere!"

In addition to tickling her midsection, Leo stretched forward and began to feather light kisses along her neck and jawline, making her shudder as well as laugh. She squirmed to get free, but the turtles clearly had no plans to let her go just yet.

"Hey, Leo?" Raph asked casually, gripping Karai's wrists in one large hand as the other tickled under her arms.

"Yeah?" Leo responded in kind.

"How long are we keepin' this up for?"

His blue eyes narrowed cheekily. "Until she begs."

"Never!" Karai shouted in protest through her laughter.

Her partner pecked her on the cheek. "Then have fun, 'cause you're stuck with us."

The torture continued for an indefinite amount of time. Against her will, Karai found herself crying with laughter. Raph had realised what Leo was doing, and began to blow on the trails her tears left, making her twitch even more under their grasp. She arched her back instinctively, and Leo gently pushed her back onto the soft mattress, chiding her about spine safety.

Karai couldn't help smiling at the fact that even when he had an outright intention to torment her, Leo still tried to take care of her.

"Stop! Stop!" she chortled, writhing around on the bed.

"Are you begging?" questioned Donnie. He and Mikey had graduated to tickling the soles of her feet with one hand and the back of her knees with the other.

"No!" she snapped immediately.

Raph's chuckle sent warm air rushing over her head. "Well, we ain't stopping, then."

Karai's laughter was flooding the room, and the pleasant sound was beginning to make her brothers laugh too, even if she was creating it involuntarily. She could feel many sets of thick green fingers running over different areas of her skin, but she was managing to fight past the fear it caused her. She assumed her brothers' attentiveness after her nose injury had helped, as she had almost grown used to being touched by them, and she could at least deal with the nervousness.

Until the moment when Mikey decided to see how ticklish the back of her thighs were, and his hand slipped too far up her leg.

The eager turtle didn't realise his mistake immediately, and once he did, he froze awkwardly, his hand still positioned between her legs. Donnie, the only other turtle to notice, hurriedly grabbed Mikey's wrist and pulled his hand away, but the damage had already been done.

"Karai?" asked Leo cautiously. He and Raph had both paused in their assault when Karai's face had contorted in horror.

Eyes wide and breathing rapid, Karai screamed in an entirely different way, and began thrashing for freedom with new vigour. Donnie and Mikey both leapt back in shock, but Leo and Raph kept their hold, hoping to calm her down.

"Hey, hey," Leo said softly, sliding back to trap Karai's legs between his own but straining to still look her in the eye. "What happened, Rai? What's wrong?"

"Uh, my hand mighta slipped when I was tickling her leg..." admitted Mikey sheepishly.

Leo paled. "Please don't tell me you touched where I think you touched."

Mikey wrung his hands together guiltily. "Heheh..."

"Mikey!" Leo climbed off Karai quickly, gesturing for Raph to release her. When he did so, Leo gathered the flailing girl into his arms, cradling her lovingly.

"Let go of me! Let go!" Karai cried furiously, clearly panicking.

"Shh, shh..." Leo cooed quietly, holding her close and stroking her back. "Breathe, Karai, breathe..."

Riskily, he brought her in for a light kiss, massaging her lips with his own. She squeaked in terror at first and wriggled, but once he managed to convince her that she was okay, she began to relax, not kissing him back yet but letting him kiss her. Feeling uncomfortable in front of their brothers, Leo broke the kiss, but guided her head into the crook of his neck. He pressed one side of her head to his shoulder and covered her other ear with one hand, then whispered to Raph, "Get her jacket; it's over the back of the chair in my room."

The red-banded turtle nodded and exited the room. Donnie tapped Leo's shoulder and asked curiously, "Do you know why she's freaking out like this? I mean, yeah, Mikey shouldn't have touched her, uh... _you_ _know_, but it's not like he meant to. This seems like quite a big reaction."

Leo shrugged, peppering little kisses along Karai's forehead as she started to cry softly. "I have no idea, Don, but we can wonder about that later. Right now, let's just worry about calming her down."

Raph re-entered, spiky jacket in hand, and passed it to Leo, who mouthed his gratitude before draping it around Karai. She slipped into it gratefully, allowing Leo to zip it up for her. She hadn't been given a chance to apply her make-up that morning, and seeing her so vulnerable without any lines of defence stirred a tight feeling in Leo's chest.

"Are you okay now?" he asked her softly, sweeping her overgrown bangs out of her eyes.

Karai took a few deep breaths, before whispering, "I think so. I... I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Leo said with a chuckle, wiping her tears away.

"Yeah. If anyone's gotta apologise, it's totally me, dudette," added Mikey kneeling beside her. "Sorry for upsetting you."

"It's... It's okay, little brother. You didn't mean to. My own fault anyway..." She scrubbed at her still-watering eyes with a sleeve.

As Mikey climbed up onto the bed and cuddled his sister (to the teasing of Raph), Leo caught Donnie's attention and signalled for him to go and get Splinter. Karai seemed to have recovered, but this had proven their suspicions that something was seriously amiss with her.

When Donnie returned with their father, Karai glanced up guiltily from Mikey's shoulder and forced a smile. "Hello, Master Splinter."

"Miwa, what is the matter?" he questioned immediately, crossing to place a hand on her head.

"I, uh... It's nothing. I freaked out for no reason."

"That's not true, she freaked out 'cause I-"

"Mikey!" Karai hissed to him, but Splinter already had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Leonardo, may I speak with you for a moment?"

The blue-clad turtle nodded as he followed his father from the room. "Hai, Sensei."

Upon Splinter's request, Leo calmly (at least, as calmly as he could) explained the entire story of what had happened, trying to ignore how his father's face grew gradually more haunted as the tale progressed.

When he was finished, Splinter sighed pointedly. "I knew there was no way she could be handling this so well..."

"Uh, Master Splinter? Who's handling what so well? Karai? What's she handling?"

"I... I think it is about time I explain this to you all, if Miwa will allow it." He creaked open Mikey's bedroom door and addressed his daughter. "Miwa? I believe we need to tell them."

Head drooping, she heaved a sigh. "Hai, Master Splinter."

* * *

"_What?_"

"How could he?!"

"That _monster!_"

"Uh... What's rape?"

Splinter exhaled slowly. Even talking about Miwa's torture made his blood boil, though a small part of his heart warmed at the innocence of his youngest.

Mikey blushed sheepishly. "I'm guessing it's, like, a bad thing... right?"

"Mikey, rape is-" Donnie almost choked on his words, unable to comprehend that he was describing what a sibling of his had endured. "It's- Okay, you know the birds and the bees talk we had when we were kids?"

"Ugh!" The orange-clad turtle shuddered. "Don't remind me, dude!"

"Well, rape is someone doing... _that_ to someone else, but... without permission." The turtle genius swallowed heavily again. "So yes, a bad thing."

"And... And..." Mikey seemed to be understanding at last. "And..._ Shredder did that to her?!_"

"Shush, Mikey!" hissed Donnie. "She's only in the dojo; stop shouting or she'll hear you!"

The sound of something being torn in half interrupting Mikey's retort, drawing both turtles' attention to Raph...

... Who was gaping at Leo as his leader furiously mangled an innocent sofa cushion.

"Leo?!" all three exclaimed in shock. Their oldest brother was rarely this violent.

Splinter, however, made no move to discipline him, though he did plan to later. He understood exactly what violent emotions were raging through his son, as they had been plaguing him too since the minute he found out what the Shredder had done to his child.

Once the cushion was well and truly beyond repair, Splinter leaned over and set a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Did that help, my son?"

"Not really," he spat. "It wasn't Shredder's head."

That startled everybody in the room, Leo himself included. Nobody had been prepared for such violent talk from the leader, though he couldn't bring himself to regret it or take it back. Imagining what Karai had been through... It made him want to vomit.

"I would like to say that vengeance is not the answer, but I know that will not aid you at this point. Truthfully..." Splinter hesitated, then finished with, "I too wish to see Saki suffer for his actions."

Leo glanced up, an unreadable look in his eyes. "Is that why you were going after him that night? When Karai stopped you?"

"Yes," he admitted. "I had struggled against the urge for days, but my control slipped that night. Thankfully, Miwa was there to stop me making any mistakes."

"Wait, when was this?" demanded Raph. "Sensei, when did you try to go after Shredder?!"

"It was a few weeks ago, but fear not, I did not make it out of the lair before I was caught." Splinter sighed. "The desire for revenge truly can blind you, my sons."

"I just don't get it," declared Mikey. "Why would he wanna do that to her?"

Another pained sigh from their father. "I believe it was because of how she resembles my Shen, Michelangelo. Saki was always jealous of us, and perhaps when he took Shen from the world, he figured that Miwa was a suitable substitute." He shuddered at the words he was saying. How could this horrible man have been raised as his brother?

"Do you think that's why he took her, then?" asked Raph, ever blunt.

"I do not know, my son, though for the sake of my mental well-being, I am choosing to believe it was not." Splinter grasped his staff tightly. "I like to hope he found Miwa wherever she had been left and took her because he believed my wife and I had both perished, but I know it is a foolish sentiment with the man Oroku Saki turned out to be. Even if he did not take her with intentions for such a thing, his intentions would most likely have still been to spite me."

"And... And he's been doing this to her since she was _six?_"

"Not quite, Donatello. She said that was the first time he kissed her." Splinter and his sons all shuddered at the thought. "It did not escalate fully until she began to mature."

"That's disgusting," growled Leo. "We can't let him get away with this."

"Of course not, but we must remember to be tactical; we must still act like the ninja clan we are."

"Hai, Sensei," they agreed in unison.

The brothers were silent for a few moments, each struggling to process what they had heard. Yes, none of them had expected their lost sister to have had a necessarily _pleasant_ childhood under the Shredder's reign, but none of them had realised quite how cruel he could have been to her. When Mikey began to sniffle quietly, nobody said a thing, but Donnie lay one arm around his shoulders.

Once the silence grew too heavy, Splinter tentatively broke it. "Would you like to see her, my sons? I know it certainly helps _me_ deal with the knowledge to see her face-to-face."

Leo nodded immediately, and though his brothers hesitated, they also agreed. Splinter led them through to the dojo, where Karai was kneeling in front of Splinter's family shrine, nursing a cup of green tea as she studied the photograph of her mother.

Three out of four turtles hesitated.

Raph felt an ache of guilt as he remembered the panic she exhibited after he hit her. He had presumed it may have been a memory of Shredder perhaps slapping her in her childhood, but understanding what she really thought was happening to her made his stomach churn.

Donnie also felt guilty, for not pressing the issue further. He knew a nightmare about Shredder couldn't exactly be _nice_, but if he'd had even the slightest clue what the nightmare had really been, he would have stayed by her side until morning. He also felt very responsible for her freak-out in Mikey's room, since it was his idea to put her through initiation. He had thought it would cheer her up, but now he understood how anxious she must have felt.

However, Mikey felt even more responsible than Donnie did, since he had actually caused Karai's little breakdown. He made it a mission of his to keep his family happy and smiling, and literally giving his sister a panic attack definitely worked against that. He was also struggling with the knowledge that _rape_ existed; a concept he had never been familiar with until moments before. It had been a tough day for the young turtle.

Leo was the only turtle with no reservation. He walked right up to Karai and wrapped his arms around her body, holding her as if she would fade away if he didn't. To everyone's relief, Karai merely set her mug of tea aside and threw herself into him, burying her face in his plastron.

"Oh, Karai," he murmured. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"It doesn't come up in conversation much," she quipped.

"Well, it should with your family. _Especially_ with your partner." The turtle tucked her in closer. "For a partnership to work, we've gotta understand each-other, Karai. And... I really want to understand you. So please," Leo tilted her head up to look her in the eyes, "stop building these walls around yourself."

When she began to cry again, Leo slotted her head under his chin and let her hide there. He motioned his brothers closer, but none of them dared to approach.

"You can come over here, guys; these are good tears, right, Karai?"

She took a moment to steady her breathing, then mumbled past Leo's shoulder, "Yes, they're happy tears."

This at least convinced Mikey to come closer, and Leo guided him around to hug Karai from behind. When this was met with positive reception, Raph and Donnie both advanced, each taking a side and enclosing Karai in a square of turtles.

"Y'see? Now you've got four big turtles to protect you," Leo told her kindly. She twisted in his arms to face her brothers, smiling hesitantly at them. "And you're stuck with us now," he added in a little whisper.

As the turtles crowded in even closer, she reclined comfortably between them. "You know," she breathed softly, catching sight of a smiling Splinter in her peripheral vision, "I think I'm okay with that."

* * *

**Disclaimer: I still don't own them, sorry :P**

**"Hey, I think I'll do another two-part chapter... Yeah, I can handle the faster update." NO YOU CANNOT, CECE. STOP DOING THIS. So yeah, next time I decide to do faster updates than usual, please tell me not to, okay? :')**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed these two chapters (even if some people understandably found parts of it unsettling, sorry for that, by the way), and I will hopefully see you on Thursday again :) Until then, thank you so much for reading/reviewing/following/favourite-ing xD**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.**

**Hey, sorry this one was a bit later than usual. As it turns out, if you give CeCe antibiotics and three chapters to write in a week, nothing really goes right :') Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter regardless, even if it is mostly feels and fluff. This beginning bit is kind of a cop-out, but several people brought Mikey's 'creepiness' in the last few chapters to my attention, and a guest called Ariyah provided me with a nice idea for a scene to help explain it that worked with my actual headcanon, so thank you :) I couldn't write this out as well as I wanted to without it being weird, but I hope you get the idea.**

* * *

Although she had been incredibly apprehensive about it at first, Karai discovered that telling her brothers the truth about her past was a fantastic decision on Splinter's part. It helped break down a wall she had been building between them, and she found it much easier to connect with her real family in light of the revelation.

Though one thing Karai found herself surprisingly grateful for was Raph and his blunt attitude, because if there was one thing he wouldn't allow their brothers to do, it was baby her. He would likely never understand how much she appreciated it.

Another interesting change for Karai came about when Donnie pulled her aside one night, asking, "Karai… You could've told us, you know. I mean, back at the algae pool; we would've stopped Mikey from being so… Mikey-ish. He was just curious… Other than April – who he's obviously never seen like _that_ – he hasn't had a lot of interaction with human girls – or _any_ girls – before, and-"

"It's okay," she assured him. "You guys are turtles living in the sewers; you're bound to be curious, and Mikey isn't exactly the best at hiding his feelings. I thought it was something like that."

"Okay, good. I just wanted you to understand… before I say what I'm about to."

"… What?"

"See… I already talked to Mikey about this – he says he's sorry if he made you uncomfortable – and after he explained, he asked me if I'd teach him a bit about girls, but the thing is, I don't actually know about it very well-"

"Oh, do you want me to teach him, then?"

He blinked at her, blindsided by how casually she had taken the idea. "Well… Yes, actually, if you wouldn't mind."

She smiled. "Of course I don't. That's part of the whole family thing, right?"

The turtle grinned at her. "I guess it is."

Which was how she ended up sat in the lab with an excited Mikey and an inquisitive Donnie, answering questions of varying awkwardness from the two turtles. A small part of her was glad to feel a hint of embarrassment at the topic. _Maybe these guys really are getting to me… _Karai thought to herself.

* * *

_The dark streets of New York City were practically desolate. Crystalline shapes grew from any surface at every angle, reflecting the hopelessness of the city in their pinkish sheen. Buildings were becoming run-down memories of NYC's glory days. Before _it_ happened. Before _they_ arrived. Before _the invasion_ succeeded._

_Karai had forgotten a lot about New York, but she still knew that the Kraang had mutilated it._

_Hissing lowly, the serpent slithered through the shadows in an alleyway, feeling a slight ache in her chest at the absence of a certain young girl at her side. _You left Angel for a reason, _her old, human voice reminded her. _You left all of them for a reason. You're a danger to them all. _Snakes couldn't really sigh, but the thought was there._

_"__Karai?"_

_She froze. It hadn't been that long since she spoke to them, but her mind was slipping away fast._

_"__Karai, please…" His footsteps were light and barely perceptible, but she definitely felt his hand touching her neck._

_"__Leo…" Her eyes narrowed, but it didn't put him off. _

_Ever faithful, the blue-clad turtle moved his hand to caress her head. "You can't just leave us like this. Not after everything you've been through with us… with _me_. You can't just give up and go."_

_"__I… I have to…" she argued, but he shook his head._

_"__No, you don't."_

_"__Yesss, I do, Leo… You don't underssstand…"_

_He stepped in front of her and knelt to meet her gaze, one hand tilting her chin up. "What don't I understand?"_

_She closed her eyes for a long moment, trying to steady her breathing. His low chuckle was accompanied by his muscular arms drawing her closer. Then, for a brief few seconds, her tentative grasp on reality slipped._

_A metallic taste mixed with the acidic sting of the venom in her saliva, and it took her a moment to realise that she had something tough and fleshy in her teeth. Then, another moment passed before she registering Leo's choked gasping. The serpent recoiled in horror, tumbling back onto the alley floor when his embrace didn't catch her._

_"__Leo?"_

_The turtle had deep bite marks in his shoulder, and a small network of purple lines was beginning to spread from them. Droplets of red were dribbling down his plastron, but she hardly noticed them compared to the pained and heartbroken expression on his face._

_"__Leo!" She rushed towards him again, desperately wishing to help, but he staggered backwards. One hand was clamped over his wounds, but the other was waving in front of him, shooing her away._

_"__Stay… Stay away from me…" he choked out. The blood was oozing between his fingers now._

_A little bit of her heart broke. "Leo… I didn't mean to…"_

_"__Stay. Away. From. Me." When Leo's eyes met hers, they were dark and clouded. "I can't believe… you did this to me… I trusted you, Karai… I… I trusted you…"_

_He sank to his knees, and didn't have enough fight left in him to yell at her again when she hurried closer. "I… I'm sssorry…"_

_The turtle let out a strangled sound, then all of a sudden fell limp against her shoulder. "Leo…?" Karai whispered, but she already knew he wouldn't reply. His eyes had drooped shut, his hand fallen from his bleeding shoulder, and his mouth was slack-jawed._

This is all your fault, _her own voice echoed. _Look at what you've done! The one person that's always believed in you and you've killed him!

_"__N-No…." The serpent stared down at her beloved turtle, watched his blood dripping from the mark of her teeth._

* * *

"No!" Karai gasped in horror, jolting awake.

She was covered in a cold sweat and her heart was racing from her nightmare, but she was strangely relieved that this one was in fact just a product of her imagination, as opposed to a traumatic memory. Though she still felt rather alarmed as she tried to control her breathing. Thankfully, no knocks from Donnie came, so she presumed she hadn't been actually screaming this time, which was a welcome change. However, she was beginning to regret crudely turning down Leo's offer to be roommates again in favour of her pride, as the idea of going to sleep again was chilling her to the bone.

_Leo…_

"Maybe I'd be able to sleep if I just… checked on him, quickly…" she murmured to herself.

The girl slipped out of bed and exited the room, using her T-Phone for light. She padded silently down the hallway until she reached the door with the blue stripe across it, and creaked the door open just enough to squeeze past it.

Karai opted not to close the door properly, so she wouldn't risk waking Leo by opening it again, and shuffled quietly across his room. Leo liked to keep his bedroom tidy, she'd noticed, which made it much easier to sneak across in the dark. The turtle was lying on his shell, sleeping peacefully, with his shoulder wonderfully free of venomous bites. Wanting just a little bit of extra comfort, Karai stepped closer, and reached out to lay a hand on his arm.

She bit back a scream of surprise as Leo, with his eyes still closed, seized her by the arm and threw her over him, pinning her to the bed firmly. He wore an aggressive expression, until his eyes opened.

"Oh." He smiled down at her sheepishly. "It's you. Hey."

He climbed off her, and she folded her arms with a huff. "Some partner you are."

"Hey, I'm a ninja; what did you expect if you snuck up on me?" Leo blinked. "Actually, why _were_ you sneaking up on me?"

"I wasn't," she snapped hurriedly.

The turtle was silent for a moment, before he nodded. "Okay. Sorry, my bad." He took her hand in his. "So, am I having company tonight?"

"Of course not," Karai answered. "I told you, Leo; I'm not dependant on you, and I don't want to be."

"I know," he assured her. "But you _did_ wake me up. The least you could do is stay until I fall back asleep, right?"

The kunoichi faked a sigh of annoyance. "I'll never hear the end of it if I don't, will I?"

Leo grinned as he arranged the duvet over her. "Nope."

She fixed him with a pointed glare. "But I'm _only_ staying until you fall asleep."

"Okay," he agreed. However, the turtle didn't even close his eyes, instead choosing to stare warmly at her, a stupid little smile on his lips.

"Leo."

"What?"

"Go to sleep already."

"I don't want to yet."

She sighed for real this time. "Why not?"

He licked his lips hesitantly. "… I think I had a nightmare."

Her throat dried up a bit, and she hoped he didn't notice her nervous swallow. "You think?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what it was about." Leo slid an arm around her waist. "Can you help me figure it out? I think that'll help me sleep. What do you think it was about?"

The following silence was so long he convinced himself his plan hadn't worked, until Karai's voice quietly muttered, "Maybe you hurt someone you care about…"

Leo struggled to hide his pleased smile. "Maybe I did. Although, that isn't like me, so I don't know why that would get to me so much."

"… Maybe you had no control."

"Maybe I-"

"Maybe it was a real possibility and you fucking hate yourself for it!" Her voice cracked during her outburst, and apparently that was all the indication Leo needed, because he was already drawing her into his plastron by the time she began sobbing.

"Shh, shh…" he whispered. "It's okay, Karai, it was just a bad dream. You can relax, you haven't hurt anyone."

"I killed you," she whimpered painfully. "I poisoned you and killed you."

He let her cry for a few moments, before asking, "Were you a mutant in this dream?" Leo took her sad whine as a 'yes'. "Oh, Rai…"

The girl wept into his plastron until she ran out of tears, then cuddled even closer. Scaled green fingers ran through her hair, stroking her scalp, but Leo knew she didn't want him to say anything yet. She didn't quite understand how her complete equal could come in the form of a mutant turtle, but she was incredibly grateful for him nonetheless.

Once she had finally calmed down, she lay her head in the crook of his neck and took a deep breath. "You okay now?" he inquired softly.

She nodded once. "Yes…"

"Good." He pecked her on the cheek, but the smile on his face faltered quite quickly.

"What?" she demanded.

"It's just…" Leo blushed. "I think I've got a nickname for you…"

Karai smirked. "Oh? What is it?"

Leo wrapped his arms around her and pressed her to his plastron fully. "… Kiba."

She froze. "Kiba."

"… Yeah."

"Leo, that's Japanese for-"

"Fang, I know." He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. "Karai, I know your mutation really bothers you, but… I think you, kinda, need to learn to accept it… because it's part of your past, and that's okay." Leo tilted her head up. "And anyway, you were sort of cute as a snake."

She frowned at him, so he held her tighter. "Leo, I don't-"

The turtle silenced her with a kiss. "No, shh, let me explain," he ordered playfully. "I know it still scares you – I get that, honestly – but it helped make you the person you are now, and you can't sit there forever regretting it because nothing will ever change that." He took a long, slow breath, and Karai tensed in anticipation against him. "I love you, Karai. I love everything about you, including that."

Karai chewed her lip, trying to ignore the three words in his sentence that she had never heard before. "Even that time I was hell-bent on killing you and your family?"

"_Our_ family," he corrected habitually, "and yes, I'll admit that isn't my favourite thing. But again, it's part of your past, and that's okay, because you've grown past that. You shouldn't dwell on the past you don't like, or you won't move forward." Leo kissed the crown of her head. "And I want us to move forward together, Kiba."

"… How did you manage to make 'fang' sound cute?"

"Because it was describing you."

"That was the cheesiest thing I've ever heard."

"Or the most adorable." He pecked her on the lips again.

She smirked. "Or the most stupid."

He sighed and rolled his eyes at her, letting go and turning on his side. She didn't move closer, because she knew what would happen. As she had predicted, Leo lasted less than a minute before he was rolling back over to face her and hugging her close again. "So, is Kiba acceptable or not?"

The kunoichi exhaled heavily. "Well, I fear saying 'no' is going to set off another of your sappy speeches, so… I suppose it is, as long as you don't abuse it."

"I'll let you get used to it before I start spamming you," he promised. "Although there's no promises that it won't be on your next birthday card."

"You guys do birthday cards down here?" she asked.

Leo blushed. Sometimes he forgot that even though his own upbringing was unconventional, hers might have been more so. "Yeah, but we call our 'birthday' mutation day. We started celebrating Splinter's birthday when we found out what it was; when we were younger, we thought his birthday was the same as ours because he never told us otherwise. We always used to celebrate yours, though."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"Well, we always knew about you; it didn't take us long to ask who the woman and the baby were in Splinter's photographs." Leo discreetly pulled the duvet up around her. "He told us your birthday, so we used to bake cakes and make little cards – that was Mikey's idea. I think we still have a box of them somewhere, you know."

"Stop," she whispered.

"Okay," he conceded, cuddling her. "I'll shut up now and let you sleep."

"… I'm not staying, Leo."

"You are until I fall asleep." He stuck his tongue out at her, then dragged her down into a lying position. "Now, c'mere, you're really warm."

"I'm warm?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh." Leo smiled at her. "See, my brothers and I aren't cold-blooded like normal turtles – which is why it's actually worth us having blankets, since they trap body heat – but Donnie says we're not really warm-blooded either like humans. We can generate some body heat, but not as much as you, which is why it's so much warmer with you under the covers."

"_Oh_, so _that's_ why you're so desperate to keep me here," she teased.

"Oh, shut up." They both began laughing quietly, and subconsciously pressed closer to each-other.

Karai's eyelids began to droop, and she set her head back down in the crook of Leo's neck. Despite her determined protests about not staying the night, when she next opened her eyes, it was to a triumphant Leo and the sound of Mikey knocking on the door saying breakfast was ready. Although she couldn't quite bring herself to protest once she realised she hadn't had even a hint of another nightmare.

* * *

**Leorai fluff and a little bit more CeCe-headcanon in regard to turtle biology xD I keep thinking I should tone down the Leorai fluff, but then I just get carried away with it. I think I had Karai a little more in-character this chapter, but hey, feedback much appreciated.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for reading :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT.**

* * *

Much to her chagrin, Karai found herself waking up beside Leo again more and more often. She also found herself beginning to like his greeting of "good morning, Kiba" along with the little peck on the cheek that accompanied it. _This family is making me soft..._ the former Foot Clan kunoichi thought, but she couldn't quite resent it.

She also loved how Mikey went well out of his way to make her something that didn't involve algae or worms for every meal, and how eagerly he demanded her opinion on everything he cooked her. The little turtle had surprised her with his cooking skills; while not every meal was restaurant quality, most of his food was quite tasty. Though he never did tell her what he used in that soup for her 'initiation'.

Raph was as reluctant as she had expected him to be about showing enthusiasm around her, but after the prolonged period she had been out of training, Karai discovered that the red-banded turtle was greatly useful in kicking her back into action - rather literally, in fact.

Donnie had given her a very special gift, in the form of time to think in his lab. While it wasn't really time alone with Donnie almost always present, it was the closest Karai could get, and she appreciated the moments spent in near-silence at the back of his lab more and more as the weeks passed.

However, no amount of Leo's loving kisses or her other brothers' antics could distract her from the real truth: Karai was sick of being stuck in the lair. She still loved her new home, but after weeks on end confined to it, the girl was desperately craving some freedom.

Splinter caught on to this quickly, of course. During one of the boys' patrols, Karai was sat in the dojo with her father, drinking tea and pretending she didn't miss leaping across the rooftops with freedom, when he offered her a proposition: on the next bright day, she could go topside, but she had to remain in the presence of either April or Casey at all times. When asked, he confirmed that Angel could accompany them, but did not count as protection. He also promised, with an amused chuckle, that he would keep her brothers from spying on her.

"But you must remember, my daughter, the Foot Clan will be after you," Splinter reminded her gently. "Please, be careful."

Acting on impulse and giddy with the idea of a day out, Karai reached across the small space between them and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, Master Splinter." She leaned back and smirked. "Oh, and don't worry about me being careful; the Foot won't patrol in the day."

"Perhaps they did not before, but that doesn't mean they will not now," said Splinter sternly, "or that they do not have other methods of locating you in the day. We do not know what lengths Shredder is willing to go to in order to get you back."

Face twisted in displeasure, Karai nodded solemnly. "Hai, Sensei..."

"Miwa, I am talking to you as your father, not your sensei," he informed her gently, stretching forward to place a hand on her shoulder. "A father that cannot bear the idea of losing his daughter once more."

Wordlessly, Karai shifted closer to him, resting her head against his robe. After a long moment of silence, she whispered, "I don't want to go back there again..."

Splinter embraced her just a little tighter, and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "Fear not, my child; I will not let you."

* * *

Despite various protests from her brothers, Karai began spending more and more time topside with April, Casey and Angel. Although, since she was quite afraid of the Foot Clan recapturing her (not that she would ever admit it), Karai was quite content for all of their hanging out was either in April or Casey's house or a very public place.

The four were sat in an ice-cream parlour at the mall one day, just chatting, when April decided to announce that they didn't know each-other well enough, and should play a 'getting to know you' game. It was met with the negative reception the redhead had to have expected, but it did prompt a comment from Casey that pricked Karai's interest.

"We're not five, April; we are not playing a 'getting to know you' game in the middle of the mall," the hockey player said forcefully. He then turned to Karai and smirked. "'Sides, we know plenty about each-other, right Rai?"

She grinned. "Right. You live with your father and sister, you're on the school hockey team, and you want to be a hockey player or bounty hunter when you grow up."

"Uh-huh, and your first weapon was a juji-something sword, your favourite colour is black or silver, and you wanted to get your motorbike from Foot HQ." Casey turned to April and shoved her teasingly. "See? We know plenty about each-other."

Karai was aware that April began speaking again, but she wasn't listening, because she had a new idea brewing in her mind. Angel, who was sat beside her, raised an eyebrow, but gave her a playful smirk and a jab in the ribs.

"I know you're planning something," she mouthed silently, though it was likely she wouldn't have been heard over April and Casey's friendly argument.

Grinning deviously, Karai just winked at her.

* * *

It took a lot of preparation and some snooping (thank goodness Donnie didn't mind her hanging out in his lab), but three days later, Karai was unhooking Raph's Stealth Bike from the Shellraiser in the dead of night. The girl was dressed in her training clothes, since Donnie had attached her old Foot armour to the lining for protection. She silently wheeled the motorcycle out onto the subway tracks, tingling with adrenaline.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

The kunoichi suppressed the urge to jump at her brother's voice, instead choosing to grip the handlebar of the bike angrily.

"I mean, Splinter _finally_ lets you out of the lair, and you're already pushing it," he continued.

Karai turned to him and rolled her eyes. "Right, like you wouldn't do the same thing."

"I spent fifteen years down here, though," Raph reminded her, "so it's not quite the same thing. At least you get to go topside in the day."

"Yeah, but it's not the same with April and that." She sighed. "They're nice company, sure, but it's not… exciting. There's no rush of energy or adrenaline, it's just… talking, which you've probably noticed isn't my forte."

"It's not mine either," the turtle agreed absent-mindedly. He folded his arms and met her eyes. "_But_ there's still no way you're sneakin' out for a midnight joyride on my bike-"

"Oh, come on, don't be so lame! Isn't Leo meant to be the boring turtle?"

"Obviously can't be that boring if you spend so much time sucking face with him," Raph retorted, smirking. "Anyway, you didn't let me finish. There's no way you're sneaking out for a midnight joyride on my bike… _without_ _me_."

She was taken by surprise for a moment, before she grinned. "Fine, but no taking it slow, turtle."

He frowned. "Hey, that's a harsh stereotype!"

"Then move your butt and prove me wrong."

A blue helmet came flying towards her, and she only just caught it before it hit her in the chest. Raph, who had pulled a red helmet over his own head, joined her by the bike, a smug smile on his face. "I'd be glad to, sister."

She made a face at the helmet. "And here I thought you were the reckless one."

"I am," he said, hopping onto the bike and squishing as far forward on the seat as possible, "but I'm not stupid; getting caught on the bike would be bad enough, but if you break your skull, Splinter'll kill me."

Resigning, Karai pulled the helmet onto her head and squashed into the space between her brother's shell and the back of the seat. He caught hold of her hands and made her wrap her arms around him to hold on. She chuckled, then snuggled closer. "Aww, Raph, if you wanted a hug, you could've just asked."

He wriggled uncomfortably. "Actually, maybe be murdered by Splinter wouldn't be so bad. Go ahead and take that helmet off." When Karai responded by pecking him on the cheek, he flat-out threw her off the stationary bike. "Do you actually want a ride or are you just here to piss me off?"

"Hey, _you_ followed _me_." She stood and dusted off her clothes. "I'd have been perfectly happy sneaking out alone."

The turtle rolled his eyes as she squeezed back onto the bike behind him. "Let's just go already before I kill you."

"Okay," she laughed, slinging her arms over his shell loosely.

The turtle revved the bike up and took off down the subway tunnel. He wasn't really used to riding with passengers, since the Stealth Bike had never really been built for two people (he made a mental note to mention that to Donnie, as he had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time Karai wanted a ride), but for all he complained about her, Karai wasn't the worst passenger he could imagine. She seemed to have a genuine appreciation for riding the bike, at least, and he got the distinct feeling that they would both be whooping with delight if they didn't need to keep quiet.

She leaned into his ear to say, "Gotta give you credit, you've got an awesome bike."

"The credit's all Donnie's; he built the thing." Raph thought for a moment, then asked, "Hey, wanna go topside?"

Karai gaped at him. "We can't… can we?"

"Yeah, we'll just put the roof up. You'll still be able to see through the periscope." He granted her a rare half-smile. "Besides, if we get any trouble, I'll get you out of the there."

She swatted at him. "As if I'd need you to. I can handle myself, thanks."

Raph drove the bike down the longest route to the surface, adding in extra twists and turns to make it more fun, before activating the roof to help them blend in. He wasn't sure he should be taking her out when the Foot could be patrolling, but he figured that at least this way she had someone else with her. After all, he reasoned, she would have gone out with or without him.

He was in such close proximity to her thanks to the small space of the Stealth Bike that he could actually feel Karai's breath catch as he pulled down the periscope and let her see. It had been a long time since she had seen New York at night without feeling afraid, and she found herself wishing she could go for a run along the rooftops.

As if reading her thoughts, Raph clarified, "Don't even ask, you're staying in the Stealth Bike."

She huffed. "I know, I know."

Though she was surprised when Raph pulled over into an alley, hiding the bike in the shadows. He opened the covering just enough to slip out, leaving his helmet on the seat. "Okay, just stay here, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Wait, what?" Karai tried to stand but he gently pushed her down. "Where are you going?"

"There are some thugs attacking Murakami's shop," he explained. "I'll be like five minutes."

Before she could protest, Raph had already slid the covering into place and ran off. She edged forward on the seat, taking a moment to stretch her cramped legs, and peeked through the periscope, wondering if she would be able to see Raph's fight from here. He could need her help if things got more serious than he thought.

A soft thudding from nearby prompted Karai to subtly tilt the periscope upwards, checking the skyline. She swallowed a shriek as she realised it was Fishface and a troop of Foot-Bots leaping across the rooftops framing the alley she was hiding in. Hoping beyond hope that Donnie's design on the bike was impeccable, Karai drew her sword from its sash with annoyingly shaky fingers, just in case.

True to his word, Raph returned in record time. He had apparently spotted the Foot patrol too, because when Karai quietly requested that they go home, he nodded sympathetically. She also noticed, though she didn't say a thing, that he kept glancing over his shoulder at her and leaning back against her. And even though Raph was driving a lot faster than he really should have been, it felt like the longest ride of Karai's life.

* * *

**Finally, some bonding between Karai and someone that's not Leo! Also, sorry for a mostly-filler chapter, but this was all I could write, and anyway, I thought we needed a break from all the feels :)**

**So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for reading xD**


	22. Chapter 22

"Hey, Karai," April greeted her cheerily.

The dark-haired girl was sprawled on the couch watching television, her head on Mikey's leg and her feet being repeatedly shoved to the floor from Raph's lap. "Hey, Princess. What's up?"

April paused, smirking. "Would you punch me if I said 'the sky'?"

"Yes."

"Okay then." The redhead leaned over the back of the couch to talk to Karai properly. "You up for a trip to the park with us?"

"_Us?_" inquired Raph. He had been a lot more protective since their close-call a few days ago, though they had yet to tell anyone about that.

"She means Casey and Angel," Karai elaborated, sitting up properly. "And sure, sounds good."

April smiled at Raph. "I figured you wouldn't appreciate me bringing a fourteen-year-old into your lair, so I made Casey wait topside with her."

He gave her a single nod. "Thanks."

* * *

An hour or so later, Karai was sat with Angel and April on a park bench, watching Casey attempt roller-skating tricks on the skate ramps.

"He's gonna break his neck one of these days," muttered April with an amused smirk.

"Totally," Angel agreed. "I'm not sure how he's lasted so long against some of the freaky villains you guys go up against."

April laughed. "Yeah, me neither. I keep telling him he should train with Master Splinter, but he really isn't up for it."

"I don't think he has the control to learn Ninjutsu," mused Karai.

The redhead hummed in agreement. "Or the patience."

"Well, yes, but I'd be a pretty big hypocrite to call him out on patience," the dark-haired girl admitted.

"Same here," she giggled. A low buzzing rang out and the redhead checked her phone. "Aw, man, my dad's calling. Uh, you'll be okay here with Angel for just a few minutes, right Rai?"

Karai rolled her eyes. "Gee, I don't know. How will I survive with only my weapons and kunoichi training?"

After swatting Karai over the head, April apologised again and walked to a quieter section of the park to take the call. Casey didn't seem to notice as he continued to skate.

"Hey," Angel said softly, drawing Karai's attention back to her, "you are okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Karai couldn't bring herself to be sarcastic to the younger girl. "If anything, I'm relieved to be out of the lair."

"It can't be very good spending months in a sewer." Angel dropped into a small whisper at the end of the sentence.

"No, not really. It's... nice, though. Having a family, I mean." Karai lifted her legs onto the bench and folded them under her. "I wish I'd found them sooner... Don't tell them I said that, though."

The younger girl smiled. "Damn, and I was just about to go search the sewers for hours to do that."

"Shut up."

The girls sat together making small talk for a while, until a not-very-manly shriek from nearby caught their attention. Casey, who had been trying to a flip mid-air off the ramp, clearly hadn't put too much thought into his trick, because they watched him crash to the ground in an undignified manner.

Karai's eyes widened in alarm, but Angel shook her head and grinned reassuringly. "Don't worry, he does this all the time. Casey, you're such a moron!"

The kunoichi didn't realise that she shouldn't have let Angel leave until the girl was already at Casey's side, struggling to help him stand on his roller-skates again. _Calm_ _down_, she thought to herself. _You're a kunoichi; you don't need bodyguards. You've had more self-defence training than the three of them put together._

So she settled back against the bench and watched the proceedings with amusement. Just when she was getting up to go help the idiot, a young Chinese man approached her. "Excuse me, Miss?"

He didn't sound hostile, and he looked unassuming enough in his regular clothes. Besides, if he was working for the Foot, she would have seem him before, even if only in a picture. "What?"

"I was just wondering if you could help me; I seem to be having some trouble with my car." He smiled apologetically, then gestured to her outfit; old boots, dirty jeans, a battered tank top, and her spiky jacket. "You seem like quite a handy girl."

Karai glanced around nervously. April was barely in her line of sight, so there was no chance of catching her attention. Angel and Casey were close enough, but neither were looking her way. She refused to shout for their attention, and anyway, she was confident that she didn't need it. It was just a random guy asking a random person in the park for help. She loved her family, but they were making her paranoid.

Sweeping her bangs out of her face, she smiled at the guy. "Sure. Where's your car?"

"Oh, thank you," he said gratefully, his eyes bright and kind. "My car is just over here."

He led her out of the park and down the street, and though Karai followed willingly, she let her hand drift to the tantõ strapped to her stomach cautiously. When he stopped beside a pristine black van, Karai was thankful for her paranoia.

"I thought you wanted help fixing your _car_," said Karai pointedly. Subtly, she glanced around again. April was completely out of sight now, and even the Jones' were too far for her to get their attention.

The Chinese man turned to her with a look of surprise. "Oh, did I say _car?_ I _meant-" _His expression darkened and he lunged for her, snatching her arms behind her back.

Reflexively, Karai slammed the heel of her boot into his shin and twisted his arm as he doubled over. She pulled her tantõ free and set it against his neck as she pinned him to the park's fence. "Who are you?"

He smirked. "They call me Hun."

His foot slammed into her stomach and winded her, his opposite knee connecting with her face in her moment of weakness. Involuntarily she released his arm, and he shoved her face-first against the side of the van. Her tantõ had fallen in their scuffle and now lay abandoned in the road. Hun unclipped some handcuffs from a belt he had concealed under his jacket, fastening her hands behind her back.

"I must thank you for your ignorance," he taunted. "Master Shredder will be _very_ pleased with my accomplishment, and you didn't even make it difficult for me. Truly, thank you."

Karai tried to kick him in the groin, but he side-stepped and drove his heel into the back of her knee. She dropped to the sidewalk, and he forced her up against the van again as he tied her ankles together. "Silly, silly girl. Did you really think you could escape _the_ _Shredder?_"

With her limbs bound and no way of getting her sword, Karai resorted to a last-ditch tactic. She let out a piercing scream and began thrashing as he escorted her to the van. "Let go of me, you creep!"

Passers-by on the street and in the park began to look over at the commotion, just as she had planned.

"What's going on?"

"He's kidnapping her!"

"Somebody call the police!"

Hun, knowing there was no way to pass his actions off innocently, ducked his head and quickened his step, yanking open the van doors and trying to push her inside. Karai continued screaming as she tried to wrestle free, aware that people were coming to her aid. However, what she hadn't counted on was the Foot-Bots lurking in the shadows of the van, who seized hold of her and dragged her inside, one clamping a metallic hand over her mouth.

Casey finally caught sight of the scene just in time to see Karai disappear inside the van and Hun slam the doors as he raced to the driver's side, ignoring the people advancing on them. He took off towards his kitted-out bike, calling to Angel over his shoulder, "Tell April to call the guys!"

Pulling his mask over his face, Casey snatched his bag of sports equipment and slung it over his shoulder, pulling on his Taser-equipped glove as he cycled. Pedestrians shouted as he whipped past them, but he paid them no mind as he struggled to reach the van.

Meanwhile, Karai wriggled desperately to get free of the Foot-Bots, secretly trying to knock one of their weapons down. One finally dropped a shuriken, and Karai caught it between her feet gleefully. She managed to cut the rope around her ankles enough to break out of it, then proceeded to kick a katana-wielding robot's head off.

"Who keeps thinking it's a good idea to pit me against these things?" she wondered aloud as she grabbed the katana in one hand.

Unfortunately, the Foot-Bots seemed to remember her last escape, because they removed the weapon speedily and threw her against the far wall of the vehicle. One moved to secure her ankles again, but she leapt aside. Two more pounced at her, but she ducked at the last second and they crashed into the back doors of the van. Said doors flung open under the impact, though the robots grabbed hold of the rim and pulled themselves back up.

With the doors open, Karai could now see Casey approaching, and a crazy plan began to form in her mind. "Cycle faster!" she yelled to him, wheeling around to kick a Foot-Bot in the stomach.

"I'm trying!" he hollered back, using a lower voice so the witnesses wouldn't recognise him.

Karai managed to hold her own against the Foot-Bots, until one took the wheel from Hun, allowing the young man to join the fight. Seeing him climb over the seat, Karai frantically glanced back at Casey. He wasn't as close as she would have liked, but she was pretty sure he was close enough. So, allowing herself no hesitation, Karai jumped straight out of the speeding van.

Casey saw this and peddled madly to get within reach. Had she not been training for her whole life, she never would have made the jump.

Without her arms to brace herself, Karai smacked full-force into Casey. He just about kept them upright on the bike, but the impact sent said bike sideways. It crashed into the stone wall lining the park, launching them both over the wall and down a grassy hill. The van kept driving, now with a police car on its tail. Casey tried to cushion the fall as best he could for Karai, though when they finally rolled to a stop, both were grinning giddily from the adrenaline.

"You okay?" he asked, still using his deep voice.

Karai let her head fall against the ground, fatigue and fear settling in as the adrenaline wore off. "I think so. I, uh…"

"You're welcome." He ruffled her hair. He peered back at his bike against the wall. "My bike's probably totalled, though."

She nodded. "Yeah… You'll probably want to stretch out your legs later, too. You were pedalling pretty damn quickly."

Casey shrugged. "Couldn't let them take you. The guys would rip me to pieces."

Since her arms were still bound, Karai nuzzled her head against Casey's chest as an attempt at a hug. "Seriously though, you just saved my life."

"Hey, all in a day's work for-"

"Is it really worth putting on a mask and fake voice if you're just gonna start talking in the third person?" Karai inquired teasingly.

"Maybe not," he admitted. Another police car had pulled up, and several policeman were approaching them. "Actually," Casey said awkwardly, "I might have to get goin' before they start askin' me stuff…"

"Fine," sighed Karai, "but they're just going to question me."

"We can help with that," whispered April, as she and Angel hurried over.

Muttering a quick goodbye, Casey ran up the hill and grabbed his bike, pedalling away despite shouts for him to stop.

"It's okay, he saved me," Karai called quickly.

"He's an unnamed vigilante," April agreed. Seeing the questioning looks the police were giving her, she and Angel both wrapped an arm around Karai. "She's our best friend," April explained. The redhead chanced a look at Karai, and her heart almost broke at the mixture of disbelief and hope on her face.

"We were hanging out together by the skate ramps before that weirdo showed up," Angel continued.

"Then I'm going to need to speak to all three of you girls," said a strict-looking policeman.

"Yes, Officer," conceded April before Karai could cause another scene.

The trio were escorted to one of the police cars while the officers began questioning witnesses. A policeman unlocked Karai's handcuffs before asking her to sit in the back with her friends. As she sat down, April whispered, "I've called the guys; they're tracking my phone."

"Shit," Karai hissed under her breath. "Splinter's going to freak out."

"It's going to be on the news soon, the guys would find out anyway," April informed her gently. "Reporters love this kind of story; an innocent girl being harassed by sleazebag guy."

Karai huffed. "Imagine what a field day they'd have with my biography."

The other girls winced. The turtles had previously told April and Casey (who had later explained to Angel) about the Shredder abusing Karai, and none of them had made peace with the knowledge yet. "Don't say that," Angel chided. "It's not funny."

The dark-haired girl sighed quietly, and sat back on the seat. The policeman returned to the car and drove them to the station, promising that everything would be okay, that they would catch the scumbag before he could try this again. The vehicle pulled up and the man helped them out of the car. He led them into the building and sat them in the waiting room.

"I'll just be a minute," he assured them. "I need to check if there's a room free to talk to you girls in."

Once he was out of sight, April felt a tight grip on her arm. She turned, and was surprised to see the look of pure worry on Karai's face. "Are they going to take me to child services?" she whispered fearfully.

Part of her was tempted to make a wisecrack, but when April realised how honestly Karai was displaying her emotions, she couldn't bring herself to do so. "If they find out you're under eighteen and living with no discernible adult, then they'll try to," she admitted. "When's your birthday?"

"December 9th 1998," she answered uncertainly.

April shook her head. "That makes you seventeen; try again."

Catching on, Karai smirked. "Did I say '98? I meant 1995."

"That's more like it." The redhead clapped her on the shoulder. "What's your name again?"

* * *

During her individual interview, Karai invented a whole new persona. She was born on the 20th of March in 1995 as Harmony Smith ("I was born here, and I've lived in New York all my life, I just look different because my mother was Asian."), and she lived alone in a small flat across town that she didn't feel comfortable disclosing the address of. Her mother passed away when she was young, she had no siblings, and she hadn't seen her father in years. They asked her some questions about her kidnapper, but she pretended to know nothing of his identity or motivation. Finally, they took a photograph and her fingerprints, before letting her and her friends leave, promising to keep an eye out.

As she exited the police station with her friends at her side, Karai's heart filled with dread. Whether she was Karai, Miwa, Harmony, or anyone in-between, the truth was undeniable; any moment she was out of the lair, she was in danger.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, and I'm calling complete artistic license on American police proceedings. I'm British, and I don't even really know how _our_ police system works, so just pretend that it could have happened like this. Okay? Thank you :)**

**EDIT: LilyTheNinjaGirl suggested something that I can't believe I didn't think of: Karai using Harmony as an alias. Again, can't believe I didn't think of it, but I decided to change it because I loved the idea so much :)**

**Also, thank you for reading this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it xD Even if I did add some more feels in at the end... Sorry...**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT! Also, sorry this one was a little late again :/**

* * *

After ensuring that nobody was following them, April and Karai led Angel down into the sewers, figuring that it would be better to stick together. April insisted on going last, and slid the manhole cover back over the entrance once she was on the ladder.

"It's really dark," whispered Angel.

"Of course it is," Karai laughed quietly. "We put the cover over the-"

A hand clamped over her mouth as an arm wrapped around her waist. Her heart constricted in her chest, before she realised that the hand over her mouth only had three fingers, and that she was being held against a hard plastron.

"Shut up," Raph hissed into her ear. "The Foot Clan's patrolled down here before; they could come down here again."

She turned to glare at him, but when she shoved his hand away from her mouth, she left his arm in place. Now that her eyes had adjusted, she could see Donnie and Mikey releasing April and Angel respectively, and Leo stood in full ninja-mode, scanning their surroundings. The girl tried to catch his eye, but he was pointedly avoiding her gaze.

"All clear, for now. Stay alert, and move out," ordered Leo coldly.

Knowing she couldn't let her thoughts distract her, Karai switched into her own version of her brothers' white-eyed ninja-mode, and followed Leo silently through the sewers with Raph fixed at her side. The only detectable footsteps were Angel's, and even they stopped once Mikey lifted the girl up. Despite his focus being locked on the mission, Mikey spared just enough concentration to give Angel a warm little smile every now and then.

The journey seemed to take an eternity, especially with the tension twisting her stomach into knots, but finally Karai caught sight of the lair's entrance. The group exhaled a collective sigh of relief as they hurried up and over the turnstiles. Karai was about to set out and find her father when, once again, she was suddenly grabbed by a turtle.

Leo's eyes had softened from the no-nonsense leader to her caring partner, and he was carefully checking her over. "Did they hurt you? Are you injured?"

She shook her head, but Leo didn't seem to believe her, because he continued to search her visible skin for any cuts, scrapes or bruises. "I'm not hurt, Leo," she assured him, but Donnie appeared at her side anyway, also eyeing her up.

"Maybe I should give her a check-up…" the purple-masked turtle mused.

The girl sighed in frustration. "_I_ _said_ I wasn't hurt."

"I don't know, Rai, that _was_ a pretty wild jump," April interjected.

"What jump?" questioned Leo.

"It was nothing," Karai said dismissively.

As he entered from the dojo with Splinter, Casey pointed out, "Uh, jumping out of a speeding van isn't _nothing_."

There was a beat of silence, then: "YOU _JUMPED_ OUT OF A _SPEEDING_ _VAN_?!"

Donnie seized her arm and dragged her towards the lab. "Yeah, you're definitely getting a check-up."

Scowling, Karai glanced back over her shoulder at a sheepish Casey. "Thanks a lot, Jones." As Donnie continued to lead her away, she groaned. "Oh, come on, Donnie; I've seen you guys do worse than that!"

"Oh, he's always like this when one of us pulls a crazy stunt," Mikey informed her. "It's the only time we're ever allowed in his freaky science lab."

"… Fine," she relented, allowing the turtle to just drag her.

* * *

"See? I told you I wasn't hurt." Karai was sat on the edge of a table in Donnie's lab, her arms folded stubbornly.

Donnie gave her a stern glare as he approached with an ice-pack wrapped in cloth. "A guy kicked you in the face, you fought off a van of Foot-Bots alone with no weapons, and you _threw_ _yourself_ _out_ _of a moving vehicle!_" He pressed the ice-pack against her bruised temple, holding it in place when she refused to take it. "Forgive me for having my doubts!"

She frowned at her brother. "I am a kunoichi, Donatello. I can take care of myself. I don't need you to fuss over me after every fight."

"Karai, it's not that we don't trust you," he sighed softly, "it's just that we don't want to lose you again. They almost got you today."

"I know," she snapped icily.

He let them fall into silence after that, which she was grateful for. She wasn't about to admit it, but the ice-pack really was helping her headache, and when Donnie's arm fell around her shoulders, she felt no desire to shove it off. She let herself descend into some slow breathing techniques Master Splinter had taught her while her brothers were out patrolling, and she felt herself relaxing into Donnie's shoulder.

"I thought I was never gonna see you guys again," she whispered.

Donnie leaned his head against hers. "You fought Hun off, though, and April and Casey were-"

"Not today. I meant when I was actually there."

He sighed. "Which time?"

"Every one, but I meant the most recent. I felt so helpless." She clenched her fists. "They had me drugged up on some kind of sedative; I was only ever awake when they wanted me to be."

"Were…" Donnie swallowed, hesitant to ask. "Were you awake when…?"

"Not then, no…" Karai shuffled closer. "But he wasn't trying to hide it. He left the box open on the table."

To her surprise, Donnie removed the ice-pack and placed a platonic kiss on the cool skin beneath. "I really am sorry we didn't get you out of there faster. We thought he'd take the torture easy on you, since he thought you were his daughter. If we'd had any idea…"

"Don't apologise. It's my own fault for not telling anyone."

"No it isn't, and you should never think like that." He shifted to face her. "Okay, yeah, you should've told us, but there shouldn't have been anything to tell. The Shredder really is a monster; never accept the blame for his actions." He paused. "We will stop him, Karai. He's never gonna hurt you again."

She simply stared at him for a while, wondering when the awkward genius became so protective. After a few moments, Karai stood up. "I think I'm gonna go find Master Splinter."

"Yeah, good idea. He'll wanna talk to you." Donnie handed her the ice-pack, which she reluctantly held to her head.

The girl was almost out of the door when she turned and said, "Donatello?"

He glanced up. "Yeah?"

A smile played at her lips. "You guys already know I'm bad at thanking people."

* * *

The living room hadn't cleared when she left the lab, but everyone had separated into little clumps and settled for just glancing over at her every now and then. Leo, of course, broke this unspoken agreement, and walked right up to her.

"Hey, all better?" he inquired gently, stringing his arms around her.

"Nothing to make better," she told him firmly. When he touched the ice-pack, she added, "I've only got the stupid pack because Donnie's paranoid."

"I heard that!" he yelled from the lab.

Ignoring his brother, Leo lifted the ice-pack slightly to check underneath. He sighed sadly when he saw the bruising. "I'm sick of seeing you get hurt." He looked her in the eye. "Did you get hurt this much at the Foot?"

"Yeah," she said with a shrug. "It's part of the kunoichi thing. Don't you guys get hurt a lot?"

"Not as much as you do," Raph responded from the other side of the room.

"I have warned you all before: Miwa does not have the natural armour of a turtle." Splinter stepped forward, setting a hand atop Karai's head.

"Yeah, but neither do Casey and I, and we don't get hurt as much as she does," pointed out April.

"You are both just as vulnerable as Miwa in a fight," Splinter explained, "but I am a tad gentler when I am training you, April, compared to when I am training my sons. I imagine Miwa was not treated with this gentleness in her training?"

She shook her head. "No, Sensei. Well," Karai grinned, "not until _you_ started training me, that is."

He stroked a hand through her hair, then quietly motioned her through to the dojo. She followed apprehensively, knowing that whatever he had to say wouldn't be good. Her father set about brewing a pot of tea for them, so she knelt beside the low table obediently. He poured for them both, then handed her a cup.

"Arigato," she murmured, sipping at her tea.

They finished their first cup of tea in silence, and she lifted the pot to pour before her father could. He smiled fondly at her. "Domo arigato, my daughter," he replied. She was already sipping her tea again when he sighed. "Miwa… I understand that you will not like this, but… from now until further notice, you will not be leaving our home again."

"What?!" Karai exclaimed. "No!"

"My child, let me explain-"

"No! Father, I can't just stay stuck down here forever!" The kunoichi leapt to her feet, her tea cast aside and forgotten. "I'll go _insane_ if I can't get out! You can't expect me to-"

"_I am not losing you again!_"

The girl froze as he seized her shoulders. She glanced up into his eyes and immediately regretted it. He was so honestly displaying his emotions to her, and seeing the tears forming in his eyes almost made her want to cry herself.

"Okay," she conceded weakly. "Fine. I'll stay down here from now on."

Splinter sighed, relaxing his grip on her. "… Perhaps we can come to a compromise."

She raised an eyebrow. "A compromise?"

He nodded. "Hai. Where your brothers are concerned, you are grounded – and for the most part, you are – but… if you really feel like you must leave, then I will escort you. Do we have a deal?"

Karai bit her lip, then quickly decided that very limited freedom was better than none. "Hai, Sensei."

"Good." He squeezed her shoulders. "I am sorry for this, my child, but after the attack today… I cannot stand the idea that you could be out there alone."

The feeling that he didn't trust her stung a little, but the rational part of her brain knew that it wasn't meant as an insult. She nodded, hugging him across the table. She felt like she should say something emotional to fit with the moment, but her throat choked up and she couldn't form a sentence. Instead her eyes began to water, but thankfully he didn't point it out.

After a long moment, Splinter pulled away. "I should start clearing up this tea before the flooring stains."

"Do you want me to do it?" she offered. "It _was_ my fault."

He shook his head. "No, thank you. You may go and see your brothers; I think they will wish to speak with you also."

"If you're sure." Karai shrugged awkwardly as she crossed the room. She hesitated at the door, however. "Sorry for my outburst, father, I just-"

"Miwa, you need not explain," he assured her, before turning to her with a smile. "After all, you and Raphael must have inherited that temper from _some_where."

She giggled accidentally, and exited before she could blush. Spotting the look of reluctant authority on Leo's face immediately, she greeted him with, "Save the lecture, Leonardo; Master Splinter said I can't leave the lair unless he's with me from now on."

The turtle frowned. "Okay. Sorry to be so offensive."

Karai's face fell. "Sorry. I'm not exactly in a good mood right now."

Leo extended an arm to her, and she wrapped it around her shoulders. "Alright, sorry for pushing you." Karai barely registered that the room had cleared until he kissed her on the cheek. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Where did the others go?" Karai inquired, ignoring his question.

"Everyone's in the kitchen with Mikey; he's making smoothies, I think," he answered. "Can I ask my question now?"

"That was one," she teased. "Go on."

"Would you, uh… Would you mind staying with me tonight?"

Karai agreed in the end, after a good dose of puppy-dog eyes and an offer for unlimited skateboard rides. Of course, she neglected to mention the fact that she was planning to sleep there anyway.

* * *

**Ugh :/ It was a short chapter and it came out really bitty... But I guess all the little bits had to happen. I don't even know any more. Sorry, I haven't been able to think this week; I'm on work experience at a primary school right now and the kids are literally draining all of my energy :')**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for reading xD**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, sorry.**

* * *

_Cold armour. Scarred skin. An intimidating figure looming over her. A splatter of blood. Her own scream of terror._

_"__Karai, my daughter, why do you pain me this way?"_

_"__I am NOT your daughter!"_

Karai woke sharply with a gasp, shivering despite the duvet covering her. It hasn't even been a coherent nightmare this time, but she was left no less afraid. Even worse, she didn't appear to have accidentally awoken Leonardo this time, so she would either have to sacrifice her pride and ask for his help or deal with it herself.

_You've dealt with your own problems your whole life, you idiot_, she thought to herself. _There is no way in hell you are waking Leo up for this._

So she lay down again, closing her eyes and stubbornly turning on her side. When her eyes inevitably snapped open again, at least she was facing a wall and not a turtle. She scowled to herself. _It was just a stupid dream. You know they've only started again because that loser attacked you earlier. Get it together and rest; they'll notice if you don't get any sleep._

Despite the pep-talk, Karai found that she still couldn't drift off. Reluctantly, she shuffled backwards until she could feel the edge of Leo's shell against her spine, hoping that would help.

Apparently she had managed to disturb him by doing so, because Leo stirred slightly, though thankfully he merely wrapped an arm around her to bring her close and went back to sleep. Feeling almost ashamed at the comfort his small action brought her, Karai laced her fingers through his and set her head down on the pillow once more. This time, sleep came much easier.

* * *

"LEO! KARAI! WAKE UP ALREADY!"

Mikey's voice startled them both awake. Leo grinned at her sleepily, kissing her on the cheek as he murmured, "Good morning, my beautiful Kiba."

"Good morning, Leader Boy," she replied with a chuckle.

"GET UP NOW OR I'M COMIN' IN TO GET YOU TWO!"

"Not a good idea, man; they're probably sucking face in there, or _worse_," they heard Raph say outside.

Leo blushed awkwardly, but Karai just smiled at him. "Wouldn't you like to know, Raphael?" she called teasingly.

The excitable turtle outside began banging on the door impatiently, and they both laughed. Leo climbed out of bed and opened the door, only to be rapped on the head by Mikey's fist as the turtle continued knocking. The little turtle smirked sheepishly. "Heh heh, sorry, bro."

He shook his head fondly. "What do you want, Mikey?"

"Breakfast's ready!" he announced with a beaming smile.

"Thanks, we'll be ready in a few minutes."

"You better not have made me algae and worms, Michelangelo," Karai warned from the bed.

He stuck his tongue out at her playfully. "I made you an omelette, actually. And the eggs weren't even expired this time!"

She rolled her eyes. "Gee, aren't I lucky?" When Mikey's smile faltered, she added, "I'll just get ready, see you in a minute."

Once they were alone, Leo squeezed her hand. "So, see you soon, yeah?"

She played with his fingers. "Actually, I was hoping you would come with me…" Leo's hand clenched around hers. She bit her lip. "Well, you can't just leave me _alone_, Leo."

It dawned on him quickly: Karai was indirectly requesting company because she was scared. Apparently Hun's attempted abduction had bothered her more than she let on. "Okay," he conceded, "but I'm not gonna watch you, don't worry."

"Why not?" the girl inquired.

"Because it's not fair to watch you if you don't want me to."

All of a sudden she was far too close to his face. "And what if I _do_ want you to?"

His eyes darted from side to side nervously, his quick breaths brushing her skin. "I-I… uh…"

With a sensual smile on her face, Karai led Leo by the hand to her bedroom. The turtle sat on her bed, shifting uncomfortably as he waited. He wasn't sure whether or not her casual attitude actually helped, but at least Karai wasn't teasing him anymore. She would, however, lift his chin and make him look at her if he tried to avert his eyes.

"Leonardo, I asked you to watch," she reminded him.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "It just feels too… personal."

"That's the idea. We _are_ partners, aren't we?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but I don't want you to feel obliged to do anythi-"

"Leo, this is a choice. I want you to see me like this." Karai sat on the bed beside him. "So, what do you think?"

The turtle allowed himself to give her a quick once-over. "You're beautiful."

She pecked him on the lips. "Good answer, Leader Boy." The girl stood up and finished getting dressed, then dragged Leo to the kitchen by the hand.

He smiled as he followed her, that split-second glimpse of her etched into his brain. It had been incredibly awkward, but he was glad she had pushed him to move that step forward. Their partnership was developing and, while he didn't know how Karai felt, Leo was quite excited.

* * *

"Master Splinter?"

The day had passed rather uneventfully, with the exception of how annoyingly attentive everybody had been to her, but now Karai's brothers had all gone out on patrol (Raph had promised to punch Hun in the face if they saw him) and the girl was craving some kind of excitement.

Her father looked up from his meditative pose with a warm smile on his face. "Yes, my daughter?"

"Can we go for a walk somewhere?" she asked.

He hesitated, and Karai already knew he was going to refuse. "Miwa, I do not think it is safe to-"

She sighed heavily. "Fine. Worth a shot, I guess."

"In a few days, perhaps?" he offered. "The search should have calmed down by then."

"… Okay," Karai begrudgingly agreed, folding her arms across her chest.

Splinter rose and beckoned her closer. "Would a sparring match suffice for now?"

Her lips twisted into a grin. "I'll go get my armour."

She returned in record time, and Splinter couldn't deny how pleased he was to see her enthusiasm. He calmly handed over her tantõ as he bared his cane at her.

Karai chuckled. "You know, I've just realised that I can't trash-talk you."

The man chuckled softly. "I would prefer if you did not."

They bowed respectfully to each-other, before dropping into fighting stances. He let her begin the fight, waiting until she launched herself towards him. He blocked her punches but made no offensive moves himself.

She laughed. "Come on, Master Splinter. You can do better than that, right?" When she garnered no response, she continued with, "Maybe _you_ should start calling _me_ Sensei."

Grinning confidently, she swung her sword in a wide arc at him. Splinter deflected the blow easily with his cane, then slammed the end of it into her chest-plate to knock her backwards. Once she had regained her footing, she kicked him in the stomach, but he seized her leg and dragged her closer. He struck three pressure points in rapid succession, and as soon as he released her, she found herself slumping onto the dojo floor.

Splinter caught her before she could land, of course, smirking at her. "Not quite yet, my daughter."

He gave her a moment to recover before standing her on her feet again. Karai pouted playfully. "So you win this round. Up for a rematch?"

Several rematches later, an exhausted Karai was forced to admit defeat. Splinter smiled warmly at her. "Do you still have too much energy, Miwa?"

She shook her head with a laugh. "Iie, Sensei."

Her father ruffled her hair teasingly before taking her tantõ and setting it on the weapons rack. "Good."

Karai stretched her arms out, releasing the tension in her muscles. Despite having seen his skills with her own eyes, Splinter's kind nature had almost made her underestimate him. Although, as she stretched, Karai released that the only pain she felt was the stiffness in her limbs. She checked herself over briefly, then recalled the memories of their fights. She gasped when she realised: Splinter hadn't hit anywhere her armour didn't protect.

"Miwa?"

The kunoichi blinked. "Sorry, I was just…" Karai rubbed her arm self-consciously. "You didn't leave any marks."

"It was a recreational spar, Miwa, of course I did not." He looked confused for a moment, before concern clouded his features. Splinter walked forward and set a hand on her shoulder. "I am not Oroku Saki; I will not hurt you outside of training."

Her mouth twisted. "But you hit the guys sometimes. I don't want to be treated any differently."

"We have been over this, my daughter," the man said firmly. "You are not as naturally robust as your brothers, so we have to be more careful with you, much like we do with April and Casey. It is not supposed to offend you."

"Hai, Master Splinter," she sighed reluctantly.

Admittedly, Karai was quite surprised to suddenly find herself pressed against her father's robe in a tight embrace. "You are not hurt, are you?" Splinter asked tentatively.

Karai rolled her eyes. "What is it with you all and fussing over me? I'm fine, Master Splinter."

He hugged her once more before letting go, squeezing her shoulder. "Would you like to freshen up before the boys return?"

"Probably a good idea," she agreed. "Knowing Mikey and Leo, they'll be knocking on the bathroom door if I'm gone for more than ten minutes."

Splinter chuckled, then bowed at her. "It was a pleasure to face you, Miwa."

"A pleasure to face you too, Yoshi," she responded, smiling teasingly.

His smile faltered momentarily as he registered what she had said. She felt her face grow paler, hoping that she hadn't offended him too badly. The Shredder had never permitted her to call him Saki even in jest, unsurprisingly, but she had assumed Master Splinter would be more liberal in regards to it. _Especially since he insists on calling me Miwa, _she noted mentally.

"Did I offend you, Master Splinter?" she questioned.

Thankfully, his face softened. "Not at all, my child. It has just been so long since somebody has called me Yoshi without using it as an insult." His eyes drifted to his photograph of Shen. "For a moment, I was reminded strongly of your mother."

Silence hovered over them for a moment, broken only by Karai's footsteps as she approached him again. "You really loved her." A statement, not a question.

"I always will," Splinter answered honestly, before turning to his daughter, "but I have made peace with the pain. At least we are reunited at last, and you are safe from Oroku Saki."

She peered around him at the photograph. "Do you think she knows we're together now?"

"I believe so, and I am sure she is as proud as I am to see who you have become," he replied.

Feeling her throat choke up, Karai quickly changed the subject. "I'm gonna go clean up."

Splinter nodded. "Care to join me for some tea afterwards?"

"Arigato," she called over her shoulder as she exited.

* * *

When her brothers returned, Karai was sitting with her father in the kitchen drinking camomile tea. She found herself scanning them for injuries without thinking, luckily finding none other than a few additional scrapes and bruises here and there.

"Welcome back, my sons," Splinter greeted them warmly.

"How was patrol?" inquired Karai, hoping her longing wasn't too obvious.

"We saw your new friend," remarked Raph. A sadistic grin spread across his face. "He won't be seeing us for a while, though."

Mikey laughed. "Raphie gave him two black eyes!"

"Aww, Raph," cooed Karai. "How sweet of you."

Thinking of no retorts that were worded politely enough to say in front of Splinter, Raph stomped away as he grumbled to himself. Karai laughed lightly to herself.

"Has he always been like that?" she asked Splinter.

He shook his head in amusement. "I wish we had recovered you sooner, Miwa; I could have used the moral support from someone other than Leonardo."

* * *

**Okay, so this was short, and really not that great (I wasn't planning on writing feels but then the Tang Shen bit happened), but for those of you who have seen Annihilation Earth... You'll understand why this was all I could write. OMG THE FEELS FROM THAT EPISODE!**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this nonetheless, and see you sometime next week :) **


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it :P**

* * *

To her complete surprise, Karai found herself cherishing her time with Raphael and Michelangelo, the latter in particular, a lot more than she had expected. Much of this derived from the fact that neither were very controlling of her actions, so she felt like she had more freedom around them. She didn't love her other brothers or Splinter any less, but the protectiveness... _got_ to her after a while.

In fact, it was getting to her so much, that when training ended, she refused a private session with Leo and Splinter for the first time since she came home. Leo had seemingly sensed her annoyance, because he stayed behind regardless, leaving her free to go to his room and get his skateboard. She was more than willing to remind him that he had given her unlimited rides on it if he objected.

Of course, skateboarding alone was no fun, especially when she was admittedly still quite shaken over her almost-kidnapping. Which is what led Karai to seek out Michelangelo.

He was in the kitchen, playing a card game with Ice Cream Kitty, and it didn't appear as if the game was in his favour. "Aw, man! Not again!"

Karai watched the mutated cat scoop the cards up in amusement. "Are you seriously losing a card game to a cat made of ice-cream?"

Mikey pouted. "It's not _my_ fault!" He leaned close, his voice dropping into a whisper. "I totally think ICK's cheating!"

Electing not to point out that a _cat_ probably wasn't capable of cheating, Karai just rolled her eyes. "Sure she is. Well, if you get sick of losing to a cheating cat, I'll be skateboarding on the subway tracks."

She had turned to exit, already planning to enlist Raphael in her scheme instead, when Mikey's tentative voice rang out. "Uh, sis? So not trying to tick you off here or anything, but, uh... are you allowed to do that?"

Karai shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Well..." Mikey twiddled his thumbs nervously. "Yeah, kinda. I mean, won't Master Splinter get all worried and stuff?"

"Not if he doesn't find out," she said with a wink. When her brother didn't mimic her mischievousness, she frowned. "He _won't_ find out. _Right_, Mikey?"

"No..." Mikey shuffled nervously in his seat, "... 'cause we're not going."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

The little turtle nodded. "Y-Yeah. Sorry sis, but it's not safe."

Karai's mouth twisted into a frown. "Fine." She turned on her heel and stomped out, ignoring whatever Mikey had said behind her.

She plugged her headphones into her T-phone and cranked the music up as she made her way to her room, swinging the door shut behind her and collapsing on her bed. The girl could go alone, but truth be told, she just didn't want to. She knew she would have more fun with a companion, and anyway, the idea of being out there alone was worrying. Besides, nobody ever came into her bedroom, so she got enough alone time as it was.

"Karai!"

She whipped around in surprise, noting that she couldn't leave her music that loud again if Mikey could walk in silently. 'So much for nobody ever coming in here', she thought to herself. "Michelangelo, don't sneak up on me like that."

"Aw, man. _Michelangelo?_ I really did tick you off."

"What do you want?" Karai asked. She knew it was childish, but it had been a while since somebody flat-out rejected her like that and it was an all-too-familiar sting.

"_Well_…" Her little brother bounced over to her, leaping onto her bed with a grin. "You can't leave the lair, can you?"

"Thanks for rubbing that in."

"_But_ that doesn't mean we can't go skateboarding." He winked at her.

A devious grin spread on her face. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Uh-huh," he chirped. "But you're gonna have to help me set up a half-pipe."

* * *

Once they had cleared a space in the living room and Mikey had given Karai some basic lessons (skateboarding turned out to be a lot harder than it looked), the fun really started. Mikey had set up a cooler for Ice-Cream Kitty so she could keep a look-out for Splinter for them, and the cat watched excitedly as Mikey demonstrated a flip on his board.

"Not bad," Karai conceded, leaping slickly onto her – well, Leo's – board, "but I'm sure I can do better."

Mikey moved to stop her, but by that point Karai was already going. She flipped herself and the board into the air easily enough, but soon learned that keeping control of the board was difficult with no ground beneath her. The board was sent careening into the air, but Karai executed a perfect flip herself and landed with no issue.

"Okay, that could've gone worse," commented Mikey cheerily as he caught the falling board inches from his own head. "Although it's probably a good idea to keep the board _with_ ya."

"I might have to work on that," she admitted reluctantly. "But hey, _my_ flip was excellent."

Mikey laughed as he handed her the board back. "Totally. Maybe we should try something a little easier now, though."

When Karai finally gave in, Mikey began teaching her some of the simpler skateboarding tricks. She was pleased to find that they weren't too hard to learn, especially with the impeccable balance a lifetime of kunoichi training had given her. They had set up a few little ramps initially, but were soon putting together a larger one.

They hadn't quite realised how much time had passed, until Leo and Raph exited the dojo, sticky with sweat but both surprisingly chilled out. "What the heck are you two doin'?" Raph inquired.

Leo, however, quickly spotted the skateboards, and sighed. "Mikey, you know we're not allowed to skateboard in the lair."

The orange-clad turtle shrugged. "Hey, _she_ wanted to go outside. I figured this was better."

Leo raised a finger and opened his mouth to speak, hesitated, then folded his arms and nodded curtly. "Okay, yeah, this was better."

"Told you!" Mikey called after him as the older turtle exited.

Raph, on the other hand, was still eyeing up the scene. "Didn't know you could skateboard," he said to Karai.

Mikey snorted. "She couldn't until an hour ago. She got on the board and fell straight on her butt."

"Well, the Foot Clan training doesn't involve skateboarding," she muttered indignantly. She didn't even think about what she had said until she noticed the looks her brothers were giving her. "What?"

They exchanged a quick glance, before hurriedly answering, "Nothing."

She rolled her eyes, then rocked back and forth on the board. "Whatever. Come on, Mikey."

"Okay," he agreed with a grin.

Raph smirked at them before leaving them be with a warning of, "When Splinter catches you guys, I ain't bailing you out of trouble."

Mikey stuck his tongue out at their brother's retreating figure, then hopped agilely onto his own board. "Hey, wanna see something really cool?"

"Well, I'm not gonna say 'no', am I?" she teased.

The turtle smiled at her, before kicking off the ground and skating up the ramp, twisting and flipping in mid-air before landing smoothly on the ramp and rolling to an eventual stop at her feet. "Ta-da!"

"Actually, that was pretty awesome," she informed him. "Can I try?"

Mikey frowned. "Probably not, sis. Maybe just try skating up the big ramp and coming back down for now, 'kay?"

"That's _boring_," Karai protested, but she did as Mikey said anyway. She wasn't about to admit it to him, but it was actually quite fun, even if she was annoyed that she couldn't do the same tricks as Mikey yet.

Of course, while Mikey was only a year younger than her, his mentality was definitely much more childlike, and he almost immediately got cocky and started showing off. Karai ended up sitting on a couch cushion and watching with genuine interest, observing her brother's show.

"Don't worry, sis," Mikey called down to her from the top of the ramp. "One day, you'll reach this level of awesome one day!"

"Yeah, yeah." Karai rolled her eyes. "Just don't get too cocky, Mikey."

"You can't get too cocky when you're the best there- _AAAH!_"

Karai watched in horror as the board slipped ever so slightly, flinging Mikey completely off-balance and sending him tumbling down the ramp. She leapt forward and knelt beside him. "Mikey, are you okay?"

"Uhh…" he groaned painfully. "Is the world meant to be spinnin' like that?"

She swore under her breath as she slowly helped him sit up. "No, the world should not be spinning."

"Then, no... I'm not too good..."

Supporting the back of his neck with one hand, Karai quickly checked him over for visible injuries. Nothing appeared to be bleeding, but she could see several patches of skin darkening with bruises. "Okay, where hurts?"

"My left leg hurts." Mikey held one leg out with a wince.

She sighed softly. "That's your _right_ leg."

"… My right leg hurts."

As gently as she could, Karai took hold of his shin and slowly helped him extend his leg. He grimaced and squeaked in pain but obliged, and Karai was relieved to see that there was no outwardly change in the leg when straightened. "Well, it most likely isn't broken, but there's some bad bruising. You should probably lay off it for a day or two." She carefully rotated his ankle, and was pleased to see that there was almost full mobility.

"My arm hurts too," he whimpered.

"Which arm?"

He gestured to his left arm, and Karai could tell immediately that this was worse than his leg. The skin was much darker, and upon closer inspection she realised that his arm was twisted to a slight angle. Cursing again quietly, she lightly prodded it, causing Mikey to cry out. "Yeah, we're gonna have to get Donnie to look at this for you." She tried to touch it again but he wailed even louder. "Shit! I'm sorry!"

"Miwa, we do not use profanities in this household!" Splinter's stern voice rang out. Neither had noticed him materialising at the dojo steps.

"Sorry, Sensei," she said quickly, jumping to her feet and running to the lab. "Donnie, Mikey's hurt!"

"Michelangelo, what is the matter?" Splinter had immediately switched to father-mode and was at Mikey's side in an instant.

"I, uh, kinda fell," he admitted sheepishly.

His father surveyed the scene, noting the little ramps and the larger one, which had clearly caused his son's injuries. Spotting the two abandoned skateboards, he scowled. "I really did not think you would need multiple reminders _not to skateboard in the lair_."

He smiled nervously. "Heh heh…"

"Okay, okay, _I can walk on my own, you know!_" snapped Donnie as he was ushered out of the lab by a frantic Karai.

Once she was certain that he was following, Karai returned hastily to Mikey's side, setting a hand onhis uninjured shoulder. "You holding up okay?"

He grinned at her. "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt too ba- _Ow_, Donnie!"

"Mikey, I can't check if it's broken without touching it," the purple-clad turtle informed him.

Karai stood there anxiously, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. She felt obliged to take control as the eldest sibling, but she had to just accept that Donnie would do a far better job than her in this situation.

Leo and Raph had gathered at this point, but the latter seemed as worried as she was when he noticed Mikey's swelling arm.

She felt arms wrap around her waist but didn't take her eyes off her little brother. "What, Leo?"

"Nothing," he answered calmly, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You just looked like you needed a hug." When she didn't respond, he tilted her face towards his. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Leo, Mikey's the one that fell-"

"I meant up here." He tapped her forehead. "What's wrong?"

She pursed her lips stubbornly, before relenting and leaning against him. "I'm his big sister; I should have done something."

"You got Donnie, didn't you?"

"That's not what I meant. I should have stopped it from happening in the first place."

"Karai, there was no way you could've known he would get hurt."

"Yes there was! I'm the eldest, I should've been paying more attention." She huffed. "You don't understand."

"Don't I?" Leo raised an eye ridge. "I know exactly how you feel, Kiba. I was the oldest sibling for sixteen years; I know that feeling of failure and responsibility. But trust me, this isn't your fault. It's Mikey; he'd find a way to get hurt in a bubble-wrap factory."

Karai smirked. "Wouldn't there be all sorts of potentially dangerous machinery in place in order to make the bubble-wrap?"

The turtle chuckled half-heartedly. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah… Thanks, Leo."

"No problem."

"Oh, and… I'm sorry." Seeing his confused expression, she elaborated, "I forgot that you were the older sibling for so long before I showed up. I've just become so used to all this."

"That's good," he assured her. "After all, you've always been the eldest; I was just filling in for you while you weren't here."

She kissed him on the cheek. "You can stop now, Suck-Up."

"Hey, Rai," Mikey said from the floor. "Don't worry; once we take down the Foot and Shred-head, I'll take you out into the tunnels and show you some _real_ tricks!"

Karai laughed. "You're on! But no sprained arms next time."

"Got it." He grinned. "Oh, and Don said I'm gonna have to lay off patrol for a week, so you've got yourself a new movie buddy!"

"How funny, you both seem to think you are getting away with this," stated Splinter, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

As Mikey and Karai smiled awkwardly at their father, Leo leaned into the latter's ear and whispered, "Told you we aren't allowed to skate indoors…"

* * *

**Artistic License - Skateboarding: I don't know a single thing about it, I just thought I'd make the unlimited skateboard rides thing from last chapter relevant :') Also, tvfan69 suggested that it would be nice to see Karai fussing over one of the guys, and I thought that would work best with Mikey because he's the youngest so she'd feel more protective of him? I don't know.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it. Just eagerly anticipating Season 4 xD**

**Also, as a Guest correctly pointed out, I did go against the rules to post an A/N about this the other night. Sorry, I just didn't know how else to get the message out, but they're right, and I won't be doing it again :)**

* * *

Mikey was hurt. Karai knew, understood, and was worried about this. The _problem_ lay in Mikey's idea that being hurt meant that he could get away with anything he did. For example, getting Karai to effectively wait on him. Yes, Donnie had told Mikey to keep off his ankle for a few days, and his left arm was in a splint, so he was limited. However, Karai was more than certain that if Mikey could manage to retrieve and read his comics, he could hit three buttons on the microwave and make his own damn popcorn.

As well as making popcorn, Karai also found herself making a pizza milkshake (she refused to acknowledge Mikey's name for it). She wondered, not for the first time, just how her brothers had made her this soft. She placed two bowls of popcorn (one significantly more buttery than the other), Mikey's pizza milkshake, and a mug of green tea on a tray, and then made her way through to the living area.

Another thing Mikey had used his injury to do was convince her to watch one of his cheesy movies with him. He grinned as he saw her approach. "Hey, sis- Ooh, popcorn! Gimme!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "What did you forget in that sentence, Mikey?"

The turtle presented his best kicked-puppy face. "I'm injured?"

Karai huffed as she handed him the bowl anyway, deciding that if he hadn't learned manners by now, it wasn't worth trying. "Just eat your popcorn." She settled beside him, placing the tray on the coffee table. "What movie are we watching anyway?"

"We have a bunch of old Disney VHS tapes; choose one!"

"You can choose," Karai offered, before quickly adding, "But please, spare me from the frilly princess stuff, okay?"

"Hmm... 'Kay, that's taking out a lot of options... Oh, I know!" He held up a tape with a Chinese girl on the cover. "You'll like this one, I promise!"

"What is it?" she asked sceptically.

"It's called _Mulan_. It's about a girl that pretends to be a guy so she can fight for her country."

Karai hummed thoughtfully. To Mikey's credit, it didn't sound terrible. "Fine. As long as there isn't a fairy godmother."

"Nah, no fairies in this one. There is a talking dragon spirit, though."

"Huh?"

Mikey didn't answer, choosing simply to wave the tape at her until she put it into the VCR. She sat cross-legged beside him, and almost immediately Mikey was shuffling up to her side, his head lolling onto her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Karai chuckled.

Mikey shrugged. "Relaxing."

She was half-tempted to shove him aside, but ultimately decided against it. He hadn't forced her to watch a frilly movie about the magic of true love; she owed him one. Besides, near the end of the movie, Karai suddenly became aware that her arm was around his shoulders, and she had no idea how long it had been there.

At no point had Karai thought that Mikey had only meant _one_ movie when he asked, "Hey, can you watch a movie with me? _Pleeaase_?" So it came as no surprise when, as she stooped to remove the tape from the player, another one landed on the floor next to her. She sighed and rolled her eyes, but put the next tape in anyway.

"Yay!" cheered Mikey, throwing his good arm into the air and spilling popcorn everywhere.

Karai raised an eyebrow at him. "Really, Mikey?"

He blushed. "Uh… My bad…"

His sister shook his head despairingly as she turned and walked away. "I'll get a cloth."

Splinter joined her in the kitchen with a mildly amused look on his face a few moments later. "Miwa, would you care to explain why I have just caught Michelangelo _licking_ the couch?"

The girl smiled. "I'd love to be able to, Master Splinter." She laughed, then explained, "He spilt buttery popcorn on the couch, and apparently that was his solution."

"… Of course it was." He stepped closer and set a hand on her shoulder. "Please, assure me it is not yours?"

"No, this was mine." She ran a flannel under the faucet for a few seconds, then squeezed the excess water out. "Sorry if it stains the couch."

"Do not worry, my child; that couch has seen worse stains from these boys," he said with a smile.

Karai shuddered. "I dread to think what that poor couch has been through."

Once the mess was had been cleaned up, Karai removed Mikey's popcorn rights and took what was left of their buttery snacks into the kitchen. She would have eaten it herself to tease him, but Mikey really had _drenched_ the kernels in butter. He seemed happy enough with his milkshake anyway, even though she had sternly warned him not to spill that too.

They watched two more movies before Karai's patience ran out. "Okay, that's enough for tonight," she decided.

"Aww…" Mikey whined, but he didn't object when she slid the box of VHS tapes back under the TV stand. He brightened up considerably and added, "Thanks for watching with me, though."

"No problem, little brother," she replied tiredly, patting him on the head. "The guys have had sixteen years watching movies with you; guess it's my turn, huh?"

"True, true." The little turtle beamed. "The guys would never sit and watch three in a row like this, though."

Karai paused. "What?"

Mikey, not realising the trouble he was landing his brothers in, shrugged casually as he answered, "Well, they usually cave and watch _one_, but I've never got 'em to sit through any more of my movies than that at a time. Why?"

_"Do I actually have to _marathon_ movies with him? Can't I just watch one and be done with it?"_

_"Hey, he's been harassing us with 'movie marathons' for years. Tonight, you're watching his crappy Disney movies. 'Sides, you might even like 'em… princess. Ow! Hey!"_

_Well, hope you sleep with your eyes open, Raphael, _she thought to herself, though honestly, it hadn't been too bad a night after all.

Mikey yawned, then quickly clapped his good hand over his mouth. "Totally not tired! So don't need to go to bed before I can watch more TV!"

She chuckled. "Relax, I'm not gonna make you go to bed. I'm your sister, not your parent."

"Yeah, but Leo's our brother, and he's always been really strict about… well, everything."

"Well, Leo's the team's leader… and he always was the eldest."

"Sure, but now you are, so I don't have to listen to Leo anymore."

A somewhat choked voice behind them responded with, "Not how it works, Michelangelo."

Wondering how neither of them had heard the turnstiles, Karai turned to see Leo stood with Raph and Donnie flanking him. All three looked rather roughed up, but they didn't seem to have any bad injuries.

Mikey had paled beside her. Karai discreetly set a hand on his knee as she said, "He was just kidding, Leo. You still get to boss us all around." She added a wink for good measure.

Leo still seemed off, but he swallowed hard and forced his face to lighten, most likely for Mikey's sake. "That's a relief, then. So I still have the authority to send Mikey to sleep before he passes out on the couch?"

Having slouched down on the cushions as he drifted off, Mikey sat up suddenly. "I was so not falling asleep then."

"Okay, Mikey." Leo rolled his eyes as he shoved his brother's good shoulder.

Sulking, the orange-clad turtle stomped off to his bedroom, sticking his tongue out at Leo as he went. Once he was out of earshot, Karai smiled cautiously at Leo. "See? Still bossing us about."

He nodded once. "… Yeah. I'm gonna go polish my katana."

"Okay. Actually, I'll join you, if you want; I didn't get a chance to polish my tantõ tonight anyway."

He hesitated, then shook his head. "That's okay." Leo exited without another word.

Karai sat back into the couch and swore under her breath. "How fun. Now I have that to deal with." She glanced over her shoulder at Raph; Donnie must have migrated to his lab while nobody was looking. "Is it just the leader thing or is he genuinely mad at me?"

Raph scoffed. "Yeah, 'cause I'm the one in the team that people bring their personal problems to."

"Raph…"

He relented with a sigh. "We saw Rahzar and Fishface on patrol. They were demanding your whereabouts, insistin' that we should just hand you over to Shredder before someone gets hurt." Raph crossed to sit beside her. "This time, I wasn't the only one who lost it, but we took them down anyway. I think what got to Leo was the fact that Donnie and I wouldn't listen to him when he tried to plan the attack; we just charged in shouting that they leave our big sister alone… Maybe Mikey's comment just got under his skin."

She hummed in thought. "Thanks for telling me. I'll be back in a minute."

Karai found him in the dojo, faithfully polishing his blades. He knew she was there, but didn't react until she was right beside him, leaning against his shoulder. He sighed heavily. "I don't want to talk, Karai."

"Neither do I," she purred softly.

The girl kissed delicately along his jawline, nipping the sensitive skin of his throat. Leo was unresponsive to her at first, but as she continued her ministrations, his walls came down and he nestled into her. "I love you," he whispered quietly.

She swallowed thickly. "I know," was all she could reply with, but she tried to make amends by kissing him on the lips.

He cupped her cheek with one hand, the other setting aside his katana then moving to her hip. She could tell he was cheering up, even if she was merely distracting him from whatever troubling thoughts he suffered. The girl carefully took his lower lip between her teeth and tugged it, making a low growl resonate in his throat. She traced her fingertips down the hypersensitive space between his plastron and carapace, and he shuddered.

"Stop," he whimpered almost inaudibly. "Splinter will catch us…"

"No, he won't," she assured him, pecking him on the cheek. "I'll just jump aside and leave you hanging."

"Ditcher," he teased.

"Shush," she murmured. "You just told me you loved me."

He responded by trailing kisses along her skin. "And I stand by it."

"Aww, aren't you sweet…" Karai kissed him gently, slipping her tongue inside his mouth.

"Mmm…" Leo kissed her back just as passionately, grinning against her lips.

Sensing footsteps approaching, Karai stayed true to her word and shifted away from him suddenly, withdrawing her tongue, and reclining comfortably on the dojo floor. Leo blinked in surprise for half a second, before realising what was happening and seizing his katana from the floor just as Splinter entered the room.

"Evening, Master Splinter," he greeted their father. Karai smirked at his adorable blush.

"Good evening, my son. Was patrol successful?"

"Hai," he answered, "but we did see the Foot. Not Shredder though, thankfully."

"Good." Splinter nodded. He bit his lip thoughtfully, then seemingly decided against what he was contemplating saying. "Make sure you do not leave any nicks in the blade, Leonardo."

"Hai, Master Splinter," he replied obediently. He returned diligently to his task.

Karai clapped him on the shoulder as she rose. "Later, Leader Boy." She bowed to Splinter before leaving.

She returned to her bedroom and changed into her sleepwear, then removed her make-up and brushed her teeth. By the time she had done so, Leo was lingering in the hallway waiting for her.

He pouted when he noticed her attire. "Aw, you didn't wait for me."

The kunoichi pecked him on the lips lightly. "You took too long." She smirked at him. "Don't worry, though; if you're good, I might let you have a peek anyway…"

His face flushed with colour, and she rubbed his arm fondly. He licked his lips. "Are we in my room or yours tonight?"

"_I_ am in my room. _You_ are in yours." At his disappointed expression, she chuckled. "You're a big boy, Leo, you can last one night without me."

Leo made a face she couldn't read, but was kissing her goodnight before she could question him. "Okay. Goodnight, Kiba."

"Goodnight," she replied uncertainly as he retreated to his own room. Closing the door behind her, she sat down on her bed and frowned, wondering whether or not she had made the right choice ushering Leo aside.

"Maybe the Foot were onto something with the emotional distance," she grumbled angrily to herself. "Relationships are far too confusing."

* * *

***gasps* Wait, was there actually the beginning of plot in there? Yes, this bundle of fluff finally has some actual plot to it :') Thanks to LilyTheNinjaGirl for helping me come up with this idea, which you'll see more of next chapter.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading (and waiting for) this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it :D**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it :P**

* * *

"Uh... I-Is this, like... _right?_"

Karai giggled despite herself. "Leo, relax. You're doing fine."

Two weeks had gone by, and Leo had still been acting weird. That was when Karai decided he needed a distraction, and she was more than willing to provide one.

Currently, she was lying on her back in her bed, wearing only the neglected tracksuit bottoms she almost never slept in. Leo was lying over her, though he had insisted on keeping the duvet between the lower half of their bodies, with his face and hands on her chest.

He stared up at her cautiously. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm _fine_. It's _all_ fine. Stop worrying." Her hand gently guided his head back down.

He allowed her to do so, but did not resume his previous activities, instead using her chest as a form of pillow to rest his head on. "I just don't want to rush you into anything."

"I don't want to rush you, either." Karai placed a hand on his bald head. "Are _you_ okay with this?"

He raised a facial ridge that should have held an eyebrow. "I'm a sixteen year old male that's been with his family in the sewers for most of his life. I know I'm a turtle, but I still have hormones. Yes, I am very okay with this, as long as you are."

"You know, technically, nothing's changed with the family in the sewers thing," she pointed out. "Right now, you're with your sister."

"It doesn't count, we didn't grow up together," he murmured, turning his face back to her flesh.

She held back a moan as his mouth opened against her skin and his tongue crept out. "Which is even more reason for this to be okay." His mouth slowed its movements, and a wicked smirk crept onto her face. "Hey, do you know what really 'isn't' okay?"

Instantly his attentive gaze was on her face again. "What?"

She almost purred, "The fact that there's a whole half of my body that you can't see right now."

Leo tensed, then raised his head to shake it. "No, Karai. No further than this."

"I said you couldn't see it, not that I wanted you to do anything," she replied snappily.

The blue-clad turtle nestled closer to her. "I'm sorry, Kiba, but... I'd be more comfortable if we stayed like this for now."

Karai blinked in disbelief. She was actually offering her body to him, but he was declining. He was content to wait - wanted to, even. It warmed her heart.

"Karai? You're not upset, are you?"

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Of course not. I think I'd be more comfortable if we stayed like this, too," she admitted.

"Aishiteru," Leo whispered quietly, before kissing the sensitive skin.

She massaged the back of his head kindly in response, still not ready to say the words. Maybe she never would be. At the very least, she knew Leo would always be able to work out how she felt.

The girl was broken from her train of thought when Leo halted his ministrations again and spoke, "We should probably stop soon; the last thing we need is Master Splinter walking in on us."

"Father won't walk into my room without knocking," she reminded him. "We'll know if he's there."

"Okay, but what if he is there? What do we do?"

"I'll pull the duvet up and pretend I'm taking a quick nap."

"What about me?"

"Hmm... Well, there's plenty of room under the bed you could hide in." A sharp pain blossomed on her collarbone. "Ow, Leo!"

He licked the marks his teeth had left behind in response, chuckling to himself. "Shut up, you know that didn't hurt."

"How do you know it didn't?" she challenged playfully.

The turtle rolled his eyes. "You're smiling at me. If it hurt, you'd be beating me senseless by now."

"True," Karai agreed. "I would've kicked your butt; I'm a much better ninja."

"I wouldn't say that," he replied.

"Yeah, but everyone else would," she teased. "I'm the eldest; I've been training longer."

Leo stuttered as he tried to work out what to say, before giving up and frowning. At first Karai smirked triumphantly, until he withdrew from her and wouldn't allow her to guide him back. "I think I'm gonna get some tea," he muttered half-heartedly.

"Okay," she conceded, sitting up, "just give me a second to throw a top on and-"

"By myself."

She hesitated. "Oh."

"… Yeah." With an awkward nod, Leo offered his hand in a half-wave as he walked out.

Karai frowned as she pulled the duvet up over her chest, feeling weird and suddenly cold without Leo present. Though while his actions still frustrated her when she woke up and remembered, she couldn't help smiling at the fact that he hadn't left a single mark on her.

* * *

Things were somewhat awkward for the next few days, but Karai thought little of it; she was sure Leo would ask her if he needed help, and she was convinced she wasn't the problem because he still addressed her as Kiba and kissed her goodnight, even if he did part from her afterwards.

Which is why she was resting contently until her kunoichi senses kicked in.

She was on her feet almost immediately, snatching an emergency dagger she kept strapped to the frame of her bed and dropping into a combat stance. Once she realised who her 'attacker' was, however, she replaced the dagger with a sigh. "Mikey, why are you in my room?"

The little turtle shifted sheepishly. "I, uh, kinda thought you'd be in Leo's room… Sorry…"

"I don't spend _every_ night with him," she said strictly, before realising what he had actually said. "Wait, why were you here if you didn't think I was?"

"It's, uhm…" He grinned nervously. "I sorta like to stay in here after I have a nightmare… You're normally not in here."

Her mouth twisted. "It is _my_ room, Michelangelo."

"… Sorry," he apologised softly.

The girl sighed eventually. "…Same here," she admitted. "Look… What was your nightmare about?"

He fidgeted on the spot. "… Did we ever tell you about the Squirrelanoids we fought one time?"

"No," she answered, giving him a hesitant smile. "Go on."

Karai sat down gracefully on the edge of her bed, then invited Mikey to sit beside her. The orange-clad turtle accepted happily. "Thanks, Rai. So when all the mutagen spilled- We told you about that, didn't we?"

"Yeah. Sixty-something canisters, right?"

"Something like that." He nodded. "A couple of squirrels found the mutagen and drank some, then got super freaky and started making people swallow them then copied themselves in the hosts' stomachs, and got really creepy-looking like aliens."

She raised an eyebrow. "Gross."

"Totally. Anyway, my nightmare was about those things getting back in our lair again and copyin' themselves in our stomachs."

"… Mutant squirrels duplicating themselves in our stomachs? Well, looks like I'm having nightmares tonight, too." She winked at him. "Think you could stay with me tonight to look after me?"

Mikey smirked. "Aw, c'mon, sis; you could totally look after yourself better than I could."

"But I don't know anything about these Squirrelanoids," she pointed out, "so I could really use some back-up, just in case."

"Well… I guess it's my responsibility to look after my sister, huh?"

"Definitely." Karai stood and pulled the duvet back. "Now settle down and get some sleep, okay? You're gonna need that energy if you end up having to protect me."

The turtle saluted her eagerly as he clambered underneath the duvet. "Got it! Don't worry, Rai, they'll never get past me!"

She chuckled as she flicked off the light, before joining him. "Much appreciated, brother."

Mikey seemed happy enough as he snuggled up to her, eyes peacefully closed, but Karai couldn't help asking, "Hey, Mikey?"

"Mm?"

"Why did you pick _my_ room?"

At first he seemed confused by the question, before he realised. "Oh, right. I dunno... I guess it just made me feel safe. You know, 'cause it's my big sis's room."

"Aww." She rewarded the turtle with a kiss on the head. "That's sweet, but what did you do for nightmares before I came back?"

"I used to go to Leo's room," he explained. "It was the same thing, only he's my big bro, not my sis. You're softer and more cuddly, though."

"Tell anyone that and I _will_ kill you," she promised.

He laughed nervously. "Message received."

"Good." Karai closed her eyes and curled up against Mikey. "Now, let's just hope you don't snore."

The little turtle shook his head vigorously. "Nope! That's Raph, not me; that's why I never went to him when I woke up."

She chuckled. "Goodnight, Mikey."

"Night, Rai."

* * *

It was strange; Karai had secretly been overjoyed that Mikey had sought her out for comfort, but when she told Leo the next morning, he seemed... less than excited. She was still his 'Kiba', but he had downgraded to grabbing her hand and kissing it to say goodnight.

When a few nights of this passed, she took a stand. Leo had claimed her hand and kissed it, but when he turned to walk away, she caught him by the shoulder. "Not so fast."

He blinked. "What?"

She stared him down. "You haven't kissed me in days."

"But I just-"

"My _lips_, Leo. You haven't kissed my lips in days." Karai stepped closer. "They need attention, Leader Boy..."

Leo didn't move towards her, but she was relieved to find he also didn't move away as she advanced on him. Her breath seemed to tickle his lips; his mouth twitched as she lingered there.

"Well? Come on, it's your responsibility as my partner..." When he still wasn't convinced, she flicked her tongue across his lower lip.

He brightened considerably after that, drawing her closer with a hand on her hip as he gently kissed her. She kissed him back smugly, pleased with her work. He moved to pull back after a few moments, but she shook her head and pressed closer.

"It's been _days_, Leo, you owe me more than one little peck," she mumbled against his wide mouth.

He complied wordlessly, kissing her until she ran out of breath. The instant she released his lips he was leaning back, though still smiling. "Goodnight, Kiba."

"Hey, I'm not done yet," she protested teasingly. He didn't return her smirk, so she changed tactics. "Fine. I'll get another one out of you before we fall asleep anyway."

He gave her a look she couldn't read. It was almost... pleading. "Karai, I'm really tired... Patrol took it out of me, I guess. I really just want to get some sleep."

"Sure, me too." She fell into step beside him, but he stopped.

"_Actual_ sleep, Karai. Not flirt-and-kiss-and-then-sort-of-sleep."

The kunoichi pursed her lips. "Okay then. Goodnight, Leonardo."

He sighed as she walked away. "Listen, Karai-"

Whatever he was going to say never made it out of his mouth, because she had already disappeared into her room. She waited stubbornly for a few minutes behind her closed door before she comprehended that Leo wasn't going to be on the other side of it.

She chewed on her lip. "Fine. If that's how it's gonna be." The girl turned off the lights and crossed the room in the dark. It didn't matter; none of it did. Leo would be better in the morning. She would be better in the morning. Her pillow would be dry in the morning.

* * *

**I gave myself feels :/ Sorry, guys, but it's necessary. Also, sorry, short chapter this time... and it's late again. Sorry. I've had tons of homework, and I nearly finished last night, but then I realised there were new chapters of Baby of Mine and Same Difference up, and... Yeah, sorry. So, if you feel like getting addicted to an awesome sibling-fluff story, go check them out xD**

**Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed :)**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: If I owned TMNT, I wouldn't be sat here desperately wishing for the next episode :')**

* * *

Things _were_ a little better the next morning. Karai exited her room and walked right into Leo on her way to the bathroom. The make-up bag she was holding clattered to the floor.

"Oh, man, I'm sorry," Leo apologised, crouching to pick the bag up.

She exhaled to calm herself down. "No problem."

"Hey, Karai...?" He offered her the make-up hesitantly. "About last night..."

"Don't say anything," she interrupted. Worry flitted across his expression and she smiled internally. She strode closer. "Just hug me and we'll forget it happened."

Sighing in relief, Leo obliged, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She still had no idea what had happened to her partner, but at least he was opening up to her a bit more again.

When Leo's grasp had tightened uncomfortably around her, Karai wriggled free, making sure her lips were still curved in a half-smile. "Well, I should probably go put my make-up on-"

"Wait." He held the make-up bag away from her. "Don't put it on yet."

"Why not?" she questioned. It was a Sunday (the only day they didn't have training), so she didn't see why she couldn't wear it.

A three-fingered hand cupped her face. "Because I like seeing you without it. You look... _cute_. I want you to leave it off until after breakfast."

"Is that an order, Leader Boy?" Karai inquired.

Leo nodded. "Absolutely."

She smiled; this was more like the Leo she knew. "Okay, you win this one. Let's go and get breakfast."

* * *

Small explosions had been relatively common in the Hamato household ever since the five-year-old turtle with a purple mask discovered that mixing one thing with something else could make them "go boom". For this reason, neither Donatello's brothers or his father felt great concern when they heard a fizzling bang and a cry of, "Aw, sewerapples!"

"And he's the genius," Raph remarked in amusement before returning to his previous task of tackling Mikey for the remote.

Karai, however, had been not been raised in an environment where explosions or loud noises of any kind could casually be written off as "Donnie being Donnie" so was alarmed by the commotion. Ignorant of the bemused expressions on her brothers' faces, Karai ran past the wrestling duo and into the lab, waving smoke away from her face as she entered.

"Donnie?" she called tentatively. The smoke had yet to clear, so her vision was fuzzy. "Are you okay?"

He coughed heavily, but his answer was nonchalant, "Yeah, no worries. Just poured a little too much hydrochloric acid in. No biggie."

The light mist dissipated quickly, and Karai could soon see her brother sat at a desk. Soot covered his whole frame, except a strip and two rings of green skin and purple mask where his goggles had been. He looked quite comical, and he wasn't injured. "Of course. I forgot; an explosion's just Tuesday afternoon for you, isn't it?"

"Sometimes Wednesday," he replied, though he broke down in a coughing fit soon after.

"Were you leaning over the beaker when it exploded?" asked Karai.

Donnie shifted in his seat. "Maybe..."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come on." When he didn't react, she took hold of his arm and dragged him to the kitchen. Mikey and Raph, who had since been joined by Leo, watching in confusion as they passed.

"What's-" Donnie began, but his own coughing cut him off.

His sister placed a tall glass of water in front of him. "Drink this."

He sipped it and shivered. "It's cold," he complained.

"Exactly; to-"

"Soothe my throat, I get it."

As the turtle drank the water, Karai ran a wash-cloth under the warm water and wrung it out. Once it had stopped dripping, she beckoned Donnie over and wiped the streaks of soot from his scaled face. He fidgeted and squirmed a bit at first, insisting he was perfectly capable of doing the job himself, but soon relaxed into the warm feel of the cloth.

She cleared his face and neck then tossed the cloth onto the counter, neglecting the makeshift wash basket that had been cobbled together out of spare wire in the weeks following her arrival. "Okay, you can handle the rest yourself."

"I could've handled it all myself," Donnie pointed out.

"Whatever." The kunoichi extended a hand. "Give me your mask so I can wash it."

"I'll need it for patrol later."

"Then I'll have to wash it now, won't I?"

"Geez, fine, Mom," he teased, but he handed the strip of purple fabric over anyway. "You're right, though; I should probably go shower once I tidy my lab."

Karai shook her head. "Shower first." Seeing him about to argue, she added, "You'll just track soot everywhere if you don't."

Donnie rolled his eyes at her but still conceded, thanking her for her help before leaving to wash up. After he left, Karai began washing his mask and the cloth in the sink. Her purple-clad brother had repaired a washing machine about a month after she came home, and a dryer had been present in the lair for years (damp things rotted quickly in the sewers), but Karai chose not to use them, as the laundry was primarily her and her father's clothes, which she had no desire to ruin with soot. When she was certain she had washed the soot out, she threw both items in the dryer and set out for the lab.

"Where are you going?" Leo demanded from the couch.

She smirked. "Relax, I'm only going to Don's lab. Figured I'd help with the clean-up."

"Aww, aren't you sweet?" Raph mocked, though he shut up quickly when her boot skimmed the crown of his ducking head.

Mikey calmly threw the shoe back to her and she caught it in one hand. "Thanks, little brother."

* * *

Considering he had effectively blown himself up, Donnie decided to treat himself to a (shallow) bath, so by the time he returned, Karai had cleaned up the worst of the mess.

"Hey," she greeted. She gestured to a haphazard pile of papers on his now-clean desk. "I didn't want you to lose any of your nerd-notes, so I just stacked them up there for you to take care of. I also didn't feel like messing with explosive chemicals today, so anything that wasn't pooling on the floor is just wherever it landed after the blast."

He chuckled. "The one time you would've had a good reason to mess with dangerous chemicals, too."

"Well, it's not as fun if there's a good reason," she answered with a wink. Peeling the disposable latex gloves off her hands and throwing them into the bin, she asked, "Has your cough cleared up?"

"Oh, yeah, it's fine; I think my lungs are used to processing smoke by now," Donnie admitted with a laugh.

As if on cue, Karai's throat tickled and she coughed. "Apparently mine aren't."

"Are you okay?" Donnie's hand was on her shoulder before she realised he was moving. "You didn't breathe too much in, did you?"

"Not as much as you did, genius." She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, it's just a cough."

"... Okay," he agreed. "Just tell me if it keeps up and I'll check it out."

"Yes, Mom."

Donnie shook his head. "Fine, fine. I'm gonna finish tidying; see you later."

"See you."

Karai made to leave the room, but Donnie seized her shoulder. "Hey, sis? Thanks for the help."

She paused awkwardly, then smiled half-heartedly at him. "Don't make this sappy, brother."

* * *

Later that week, Karai found herself venturing out into the sewers without her family's knowledge, wrapped up in a soft sweatshirt she had 'borrowed' from Mikey's collection of random human clothes a week or two ago. Apprehension gnawed at her stomach but she pressed on, knowing in her gut that she was right.

Said gut feeling ultimately proved true when she discovered a muscular turtle in a red bandana huddled in on himself behind a mass of dripping pipes. Not bothering with stealth, the girl climbed over the metal pipes carefully and stepped down beside her younger brother.

He eyed her with an unreadable expression. "You shouldn't be out of the lair."

"Right now, neither should you," she quipped, "but since you're sat out here, so am I." She sat beside him with ease.

He scowled at her. "Get lost, would ya."

"No, I don't think I will."

"I want to be alone."

"Too bad."

They sat together in silence for a while, the only sound coming from the various pipes dripping around them.

Eventually, Raph huffed. "Go home already, Karai, before Sensei finds out you left."

"Sure. Come on, let's go."

"I'm serious."

"Me too." Karai leaned against him gently. He didn't move away from her.

Silence descended upon them again. As the minutes passed, the air of tension between them eased off as Raph relaxed, until they were seated comfortably on the small stone ledge with a pleasant silence between them. Unbeknownst to her brother, who had his eyes squeezed shut, Karai checked the time on her phone; they had been out for almost half an hour.

"... Fine. Let's go home already."

"Do you want to explain why you blew up first?"

He frowned. "I really don't."

"If you say so." Karai stood and extended a hand to him. "You know where my room is if you change your mind later."

Raph ignored her hand and pushed himself up. "Not likely."

She shrugged. "Okay."

Since Raph didn't move, Karai walked back to the pipes and heaved herself up. As she was still keeping an eye on her brother, her foot slipped and she struggled to grab a metal pipe before she fell. Though Raph's arms were already around her waist by then anyway.

"Be careful, you idiot," he chided, lifting her up so she could climb over.

Thankfully he followed afterwards, and allowed her to lead him back to the lair.

Nobody was really sure why Raph lost his temper this time. Mikey was still cowering in his bedroom when they returned, hiding from his brother's wrath, but everyone was aware that the water balloon sneak attack was just the last straw that broke the hot-headed turtle. The family had considered it a priority to find Raph and calm him down after he punched his youngest brother to the ground then fled the dojo, but Karai knew they wouldn't find him. She had taken note of the small, enclosed alcove a while ago, on one of the last late-night Stealth Bike escapades they went on before Hun attacked her and she got grounded, because Raph had always glanced fondly at it as they passed. She had almost ended up lost in the sewers trying to find it, though.

"How did you even find me?" Raph muttered the question, but she still heard it.

"You used to look at that spot every time we drove past on your bike," she explained.

He turned to her, surprised. "You noticed that?"

"Yes, stupid. I'm not blind."

Her brother fell quiet after that, so she assumed that was the end of the conversation. They were just stepping over the turnstiles when Raph slugged her shoulder and sent her down onto her knees. She turned back to him with an eyebrow raised, but he merely grinned. "Go hide in your room or somethin' before Splinter sees you were out."

Karai stared at him for a moment, and an understanding passed between them. "Good call; he's probably with Mikey."

Raph chuckled. "Guess I should go apologise to the twerp."

"You _did_ punch him to the ground."

"Yeah, but I punched _you_ to the ground and I ain't apologisin' for that."

Sitting up, she placed a hand on her hip. "Apologise to him, Raphael."

"Leave before Splinter comes in, Miwa."

"Well played. See you."

"See you." He ruffled her hair as he walked past, and she playfully swatted his hand.

Karai retreated to the kitchen quickly, then leaned against the counter and texted Leo and Donnie; they were both still out searching the sewers for their brother.

_Found Raph. Back home now._

Donnie responded first, _Okay. Good job getting him home. Coming back now :)_

She smiled at that text, but when Leo's came in, said smile faltered. _Will come and get him and Mikey for patrol. _Of course she hadn't been expecting paragraphs, but some kind of positivity or thanks would have been nice.

Karai frowned and typed back a simple, _K. _He wasn't the only one that could be cold and impersonal.

Though she did feel an uncomfortable tremor run through her. Something was wrong with Leo, and she wanted to know what.

* * *

**Hey, I wasn't late uploading for once! Hope you enjoyed the fluff, and sorry for distant-Leo (there's a reason, I promise!).**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you so much for reading xD**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. Also, sorry for feels in this chapter.**

* * *

Karai may not actively patrol with her brothers, but she still trained with her family six days a week. She wore her armour-reinforced training garb and had her shoulder-length hair scraped into a stubby ponytail. Most often, she sparred with Leonardo or April, but it didn't take Splinter long to realise she could get at them both via playful teasing within a matter of seconds. So this time, she found herself sparring with Michelangelo instead.

He bounced in front of her, grinning as he twirled his nunchaku. The girl smiled back, but warned him, "Remember Mikey, no water balloons."

The turtle smirked. "No promises from Doctor Prankenstein!"

In one swift movement, Karai drew her blade and gave him a steely glare. "Is that so?"

To her surprise, Mikey didn't even flinch. "Aw, c'mon, Rai; you'd never hurt me on purpose."

Her expressionless mask faltered. "I-"

"Hajime!"

The air changed instantly as three separate battles began. Mikey, of course, wasn't in full-on ninja mode, so he was primarily just jumping out of her reach and swinging his nunchaku around. "Can't catch me, sis!"

Quick as a flash, Karai swept his legs out from under him and shoved him down, kneeling over him with a smirk on her face. "Focus on the spar, Mikey."

He rolled his baby blue eyes. "_Fine_..."

Despite her honed instincts and attention, Karai didn't see Mikey's arm move until the water balloon was flying towards her face. She hurriedly shifted back, but it still burst in her face, water dripping down from her chin. She was suddenly very thankful that she didn't wear make-up to training. "Mikey!" She wiped balloon fragments and water from her face in annoyance. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Leo, who had paused in his sparring match with April to chuckle at her. Her skin prickled with embarrassment, but at least Leo was interacting with her.

A foot landed in her stomach, winding her.

"Miwa," called Master Splinter from his position at the base of the tree, "stay focused!"

"Yeah Miwa, stay focused," teased Mikey. He began to laugh, but it quickly petered out when she didn't respond. "Heheh, uh... Sis?"

A furious cry tearing from her lips, Karai launched herself at her little brother, using all of her weight to knock him to the ground again. This rage-fuelled decision inevitably backfired after a few brief seconds of wrestling, as Mikey's more muscular frame easily overpowered her slimmer one. He pinned her arms over her head and for a second her heart fluttered with fear, but then Mikey beamed proudly at his accomplishment and everything felt normal again.

"Gotcha!" the little turtle exclaimed excitedly. He then began to count the seconds he had her pinned for, "One... Two- Ow!" His hands left her wrists and flew to his tail. "You squashed my tail!"

Karai blinked in confusion. She had been aiming for a groin attack on the turtle, but had misjudged how much force she needed and had accidentally hit his tail. Maybe it was a turtle biology thing; she'd ask Leo later, or just look it up. For the moment, Karai concentrated on shoving hard on Mikey's plastron so she could slip out of his reach. When he didn't immediately follow, Karai asked, "Are you okay?"

Mikey pouted. "That _hurt_!"

Her eyes widened, and she extended a hand to him. "Wait, you're actually-"

"Booyakasha!"

He seized her arm and threw her over his shoulder to land against the dojo floor. She kicked his lower plastron to make him release her arm, then jabbed the hilt of her blade into his chest. Mikey fell back, and Karai leapt to him, one foot planted firmly on his plastron and her sword positioned above his head. A smirk curling her lips, she stated calmly, "I win."

"Not yet," he replied. The turtle bucked suddenly, off-setting Karai's centre of gravity just enough for him to wriggle out from under her foot, knocking her on her rear in the process. To add insult to injury he snatched the sword from her hand, playing with it as he had his nunchaku.

She pushed herself to her feet, frowning as she gestured to her chosen weapon. "Hand it over, Mikey."

"You would not _ask_ for a weapon back during combat, would you, Miwa?" her father asked, before switching his attention to the other kunouchi in the room. "Mind your stance, April."

Growling under her breath, Karai darted towards her brother once more. She moved to kick his shoulder, but at the last second slid between his legs instead, swiping his nunchaku from his belt as he tried to work out a counter attack. They met eyes for a moment, before tossing each-other's weapons aside and springing back into it. Unintentionally, Karai sent Mikey's nunchaku exactly where Raph was about to stand, causing the hot-tempered turtle to trip and stumble. This gave Donnie the opportunity to land a good kick on his brother's plastron, then pin him down with his staff. Raph overcame the cloud of bemusement quickly, but not quickly enough.

"Well done, Donatello," Splinter commended.

Frustrated, Raph punched Donnie out of his way dismissively, then charged at Mikey, who he assumed to be the culprit. The larger turtle barrelled straight into their youngest brother, tackling him to the ground. Karai broke down in laughter when she realised why the two were brawling it out on the floor, drawing their attention to her.

"Stop fighting me, Raphie; _Rai_ threw my chucks at ya!" Mikey protested eagerly, more than willing to take any way out.

Raph paused in his assault. "... Oh, did she?"

Karai cocked an eyebrow. "So what if I did?"

Smirking deviously, Raph pushed himself off of Mikey and ran at his sister. Karai hadn't picked up her weapon yet and Raph had lost his sai when he first fell, so it was a hand-to-hand brawl. The two rolled on the floor for a few moments, kicking and punching and writhing, until a sharp "yame!" interrupted them. Raph sat up, still resting on his sister's abdomen, a sheepish expression on his face. "Okay, but in my defence, Sensei-"

But Splinter just clapped and gestured for them to kneel before him. "Michelangelo, spar with Donatello. Leonardo, April, continue."

"Hai, Sensei," they chorused.

Splinter turned his attention back to the guilty party. Raph scowled stubbornly in anticipation of punishment, but Karai just smirked. "At least we were fighting in the dojo," she offered.

"Yes," conceded Splinter, "though this was _not_ what I meant when I said that."

"It's okay; we'll forgive the lack of specification."

She could feel Raph's astonished eyes on her, but Splinter didn't look angry yet so Karai wasn't worried. Sure enough, he was momentarily stunned, then shook his head in fond amusement. "Your wit never ceases to surprise me, child."

"Much appreciated," she remarked with a smile.

"However, rough-housing outside of designated spars is still not something I will tolerate," he warned them.

Karai turned to her brother and shrugged. "I tried."

"Nice job. Almost thought you had him for a second there."

Karai shook her head, laughing softly. "Maybe someday."

"Good luck with that; we've been tryin' for sixteen years," the red-clad turtle joked.

* * *

"Ugh, man..."

An hour after everyone else had already left, Karai was stumbling out of the dojo, alongside an equally pained Raph.

"I think my shell might fall off," the turtle grumbled.

Karai chuckled. "Haven't felt this bad in a while," she agreed.

Raph lightly nudged her shoulder, ignoring her wince. "Gotta be better than any of Shredder's punishments though, right?"

She licked her lips, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "... Yeah. Definitely better."

Realising the error in what he had said, Raph evidently fought past his screaming muscles to wrap an arm around her shoulder. "Hey, you know I didn't mean... y'know, _that_."

"I know," she assured him. "It's cool. Nothing to do with you."

He left his arm around her a few seconds longer, then leaned away. "So... Who's showering first?"

"Me," she answered instantly, before shooting out of her brother's grasp.

After she had showered and applied her make-up, Karai was all set to have a cup of tea and do some stretches, but her plan was halted when she walked into Leo.

He grabbed her hand. "Sensei finally let you guys go?"

"Yep." Karai swung their hands between them. "Has the leader in blue got any free time you can waste with me?"

"It's not wasting time if it's with you," Leo said straightaway, "but I did purposely finish off the little jobs I had to do so I could spend some time with you."

"How sweet of you," Karai crooned, caressing the side of his face. "I think you deserve a reward for that."

"Of course." Leo pressed a kiss to her lips, which she gladly reciprocated.

He cupped her face in his hands as they kissed, holding her close. Karai was surprised to find him taking the lead this time, but she wasn't exactly complaining - after all, it was an _interesting_ change. One of his three-fingered hands eventually travelled down to her waist, gripping her tightly.

She laughed against his lips as she broke their kiss for air. "Well, I don't know where that came from, but thanks for sharing."

"I'm not done yet," Leo murmured lowly. His lips were back as soon as she had caught her breath, massaging her own with a new ferocity. Their lips parted, and he moaned into her mouth, "I love you..."

Karai didn't respond, instead moving to slip her tongue into his mouth. Leo resisted, however, overpowering her tongue and filling her mouth with his own. It was a mere matter of seconds before Leo was guiding her somewhere. Content to let him keep control a little longer, Karai didn't bother fighting back.

She soon found out that he was taking her to her bedroom, when he began struggling to open the door while holding her waist. _Oh, so Father doesn't catch us,_ she thought. _Clever_. "You aren't trying anything, are you, Leonardo?"

He chuckled. "What would you do if I was?"

"I'd have to teach you a lesson," she purred.

"Hmm..." Leo pretended to think. "Sounds good to me."

Karai chuckled; she wondered if their playful conversations would ever be less enticing. She enjoyed their teasing games far more than she would ever tell him. When he moved to kiss her again, she calmly let him.

The turtle guided her further into the room, shutting the door behind them. The back of Karai's knees hit the bed and she fell softly onto the edge of it, still kissing her partner. Leo kept advancing though, pushing her down into a lying position as he draped himself on top of her.

A scaled hand worked its way underneath her shirt, pulling it up. Admittedly, Karai was caught off-guard; Leo had seen her without her shirt before, but he had never assisted in its removal. Now, on the other hand, he took care of the job himself, with sudden confidence. Briefly, she questioned where said confidence had come from, but she was soon distracted.

Apparently, Leo didn't want any clothing to separate their torsos, so after a moment of blind fumbling the clasp, her bra joined her shirt on the floor. An unexpected chill rippled through her, but Leo seemed unfazed. He continued his ministrations, his mouth trailing down the exposed flesh. Although his hands weren't limiting themselves to the skin he had bared for her, and were tugging at the waistband of her jeans.

Now able to speak, Karai decided, "Okay Leo, that's enough."

He didn't seem to hear her as he lowered the denim garment to below her hips.

"I'm serious, that's enough," she said with more conviction.

Pure terror shot through her when it finally clicked: Leo wasn't going to stop. Part of her brain knew that was ridiculous, that Leo had never been anything but respectful to her, but the little part of her that was beginning to fear him won over.

In one fluid movement, Karai launched Leo over her head with a firm kick and recoiled so far that she dropped from the bed. Wishing she hadn't left her weapon in the dojo, she reached for her discarded shirt and wriggled into it frantically, suddenly short of breath.

Leo seemed to have snapped out of whatever had come over him, because when she glanced up at him, he had a look of horror in his eyes. "Karai... I'm so-"

"Don't," she whispered.

"But I-"

"Don't!"

He visibly flinched, as though she had struck him. Part of her longed to do just that, but the rest of her was practically paralysed.

His blue eyes watered, and she knew hers were doing the same. "I really am sorry," he begged.

A strangled cry escaped from her throat, and she felt herself beginning to sob.

Leo sighed, then slowly moved closer. He extended a hand to her, but she didn't acknowledge it. His breath caught and she realised he was crying. "I... I don't know why I... Karai, I'm really, really sorry... Please talk to me, Kiba."

"Leave me alone." Her voice was muffled by her arm.

His hand dropped, and he sighed again in defeat. "Can I come back when you've calmed down? I... I want to talk to you about this."

She didn't answer him, but he apparently took her silence as a 'yes', because he kissed the crown of her head and took his leave.

The girl didn't keep track of how long she stayed on the floor for. She only bothered to lift her head when her scratchy eyes ran out of tears to shed. Even through the fuzzy haze in her head, she knew that there was a reason why Leo had done that; there was always a reason with Leo. However, her brain was continuing to pump adrenaline and fear through her veins despite this, and Karai knew exactly what would help.

Which was why she decided to venture into the sewers unattended for the second time that week, this time with an ulterior motive.

Armed with her tantõ, the kunouchi clambered out of the sewers and up a fire escape, since some exercise and reckless behaviour had always calmed her down in the past. Though understandably, having had it drilled into her head that if she went to the surface Shredder would capture her, Karai soon felt fear start to creep over her again. An idea striking her, she pulled out her T-Phone and dialled.

* * *

Sat at her kitchen table, Angel was hunched in the same position she had been for the last two hours. _Doing_ h_omework on a Saturday should be illegal_, she decided bitterly. So of course, she brightened up when her phone rang, welcoming the distraction.

"Hey, Rai-Rai," she greeted her friend.

"Hey."

She could tell right off the bat that something was wrong; Karai's voice was choked, like she had been crying. "What's wrong?"

"Are you busy?"

"Algebra can wait. What happened?"

"... Something with Leo," she explained hesitantly.

"..."

"Angel?"

"Where should I meet you?"

A light chuckle. "Are you sure we're not related?"

"Maybe," Angel joked. "Seriously though, where are you?"

"I'm nearly at that old park - you know, the one near your apartment?"

"Okay, cool. I'll be there in like, ten, fifteen minutes."

"Thanks, Angel. I just really need to-" Static. Rustling on the other end of the phone. A gasp.

"Karai?"

A scream crackled through the phone, though it was muffled. The sound of blades clashing, feet landing, battle cries.

She cupped the phone to her ear. "Karai? Are you okay? What's going on?"

A sharp hiss of electricity, then a heavy thump not unlike someone falling over. Then the line went dead.

To the young girl's credit, she wasn't fazed for long. "Casey!" she shouted, thankful their father wasn't home. "Phone your turtle friends!"

Snatching her coat and shoes from by the door, Angel threw a bag of sports equipment at her brother and called that she would explain on the way. Her heart thudded in her chest as they ran down the stairs, and she barely got the story out. As Casey rang Raph and frantically explained, Angel felt her eyes begin to water, as she clung to the hope that they weren't too late.

* * *

**So before everyone gets mad that Leo was really out-of-character, I PROMISE there's a reason, okay? You'll find out eventually, honest.**

**Also, please let me know if there are any proof-reading errors; I'm flying out to London on a school trip tomorrow morning (if you see 30 teenagers in matching blue hoodies begging for directions in London this week, it's probably us :P), so I kinda rushed this chapter out so you'd get one this week. Better than nothing, right?**

**Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed at least some of this feels-y chapter xD**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT. Also, to everyone who was warning me about upping the rating for sexual content: I appreciate your concern, but I've done my research, and mild adult content and language is allowed in the T-rating. The scenes will not get more explicit/detailed than they already have done, so the story is still at T. Thank you, though.**

* * *

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

Loud, intimidating footsteps brought Karai back to consciousness. She moved to sit up, but quickly found that her wrists and ankles were chained to the floor. The cuffs were thicker and heavier than the last pair she had worn, so she was forced to lie flat on her back.

She just about managed to lift her head enough to see the sturdy iron bars in front of her, glistening with the shine of new metal. There was a small skylight above her, but the glass was clouded and reinforced with a metal grate. The walls were sanded brickwork; there was no way she could climb it without any equipment.

The kunoichi frowned. He really hadn't spared any expenses this time. Apparently she had really worn out his patience. 'Not that he ever had much...'

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Tiger Claw appear at the cell door.

She scoffed. "Well, at least room service has improved."

He gave no reaction to her statement. Instead, he motioned to someone she couldn't see, and the cell opened.

"Wait, you're actually making it this easy for me to escape?" Karai was joking, but part of her was genuinely confused.

"Hardly," the mutant snarled. "I am sick and tired of searching this city for you. Babysitting is not what I joined the Foot Clan for."

"Not my fault," she replied flippantly. "I'd be more than happy if you didn't search at all."

"Perhaps, but your father would not."

"I think _Hamato Yoshi_ would be just fine if you didn't search."

Tiger Claw sighed dismissively. "This parental dilemma of yours is of no interest to me, cub; I am merely doing my job."

"And if you don't mind me asking, what job _are_ you doing?" she demanded. He wasn't holding a bowl, so she assumed he wasn't bringing her food.

Two Foot-Bots approached her, one welding a large syringe. Tiger Claw explained, "You have really pushed Master Shredder to the edge, child. He has ordered that we do not feed you, but instead-"

Karai cut him off with a surprised gasp as a Foot-Bot jabbed the syringe into her arm.

"-we merely inject you with just enough nutrients to survive. You will not have enough energy or strength to fight for escape this time."

She had hated injections since she was small; Shredder knew and was most likely using that fact. "What about water? Won't I die of dehydration?"

"He has that taken care of."

The second robot crouched beside her head, securing a plastic mask to her mouth. The mask was connected to a water tank behind her that she hadn't seen at first via a plastic tube. She sucked experimentally, and stale, lukewarm water filled her mouth.

She couldn't speak with the contraption over her mouth, and Tiger Claw grinned at the rare silence from her. The Foot-Bots exited the cell and he locked the door firmly. Shredder would not be pleased if she escaped again, and in all honesty, Tiger Claw was sick to death of standing guard in that damn dungeon in case she made a break for it.

Karai heard him walk away, and let her head fall back against the stone with a dull smack. The pain hardly even registered as she furiously berated herself, Shredder, the Foot Clan, Leo, and any deities she could think of for landing her in this position once more. Of course, her anger was only really directed at the first three, herself primarily; she knew she shouldn't have left the lair, or could have at least met Angel in the sewers or something.

_Or just got a hold of yourself and talked it through with Leo in the first place._

_Leo…_

A pang of longing she hadn't felt since she had been reunited with her family for real struck her, and her eyes stung with tears she refused to shed. She noticed bitterly that she was now wearing one of her old black jumpsuits, instead of the jeans and shirt she had left the lair in. The girl could only hope that it was one of Shredder's subordinates that had redressed her, though she doubted it.

One thing she didn't doubt, however, was that her family would come looking for her, and would do everything they could to save her.

* * *

She was right, of course.

Despite the fact that it was daylight outside, the whole Hamato Clan was currently preparing to do the impossible: Storm the Shredder's lair to rescue Karai. Though, unbeknownst to the other three turtles, Splinter and Leo had arranged an ulterior motive for the mission.

Splinter surveyed his extended clan as they readied themselves for battle. Leo was polishing his already-spotless katana blades vigorously, with Donnie beside him sharpening the naginata blade in his bõ. Raph was wrapping his knuckles tightly in thick cloth, and was insisting that Mikey do the same instead of giving Ice-Cream Kitty a mission brief. Casey was explaining to Angel how his spare weapons – which he had given her as a defence mechanism after she declared she wasn't staying home – operated, while April practiced moving in the armour-laced clothes of Karai's she was borrowing.

Pride swelled in his chest at the family he had created in the ashes of Saki's attack. A family that Saki had once again separated. He scowled. This time, he would retrieve his daughter from that monster for good.

He addressed the group before him, "My family." All heads instantly turned his way. He sighed. "Before we begin, I feel I must outline the risks of this mission to you all, _especially_ those of you who could easily choose not to partake. Know that none of us will judge you for doing so."

"Except maybe Raph," interjected Mikey, before the accused slapped the back of his head.

Ignoring this exchange, Splinter continued, "As I'm sure we are all aware, the Shredder is a dangerous foe. The stakes are high in any combat with him, and we will be engaging him in his own lair. There is a strong possibility that we may not all return, and even if we prevail, we will not emerge from this unharmed."

"We know, Master Splinter," April assured him. "That won't change our minds - right, Casey?"

"Right." The hockey player glanced down at Angel. "Even if I wish it would change yours."

The young girl frowned at him. "Sorry Case, but I'm part of this now whether you like it or not. She told me what he did to her; I couldn't call myself her friend if I didn't _try_ to help."

"Angel, listen to me closely." Splinter's voice had a parental calm to it, but was still stern and unwavering. "I understand why you want to help and I am pleased that my Miwa found such a loyal friend during the dark times of the Kraang, but you are still a child, and you have no training."

"But I can't just stay here!" she protested.

"It is not something we will negotiate," he informed her. "You do not need to stay in our lair, but I am not going to allow you anywhere near the battle."

"But-"

"No."

Angel huffed in annoyance and stormed off in the direction of Karai's room.

As the awkward silence in the room began to dissipate and the clan returned to their preparation, Casey approached his friends' Sensei. "Hey, uh, Master Splinter? Don't worry about Angel; she'll calm down, she's just... impulsive."

Despite himself, Splinter smiled. "Much like you, Mister Jones?"

Casey chuckled nervously. "You could say that. My point is... I guess, thank you. I couldn't say that to her."

Splinter sighed heavily. "I have lost my daughter many times, Mister Jones."

"... Yeah?"

"I will not be responsible for your father losing his."

* * *

Karai was pretty sure her muscles were falling asleep from being stretched into the same position for a prolonged period of time. She only wished she could; the sky was dark above her, and she was bored out of her mind. Normally she would have enjoyed seeing the rare glimpse of the stars above, but she could only see a small fraction, so she quickly tired of them.

Thirst itched in the back of her throat, but she was trying to limit how much she drank until she worked out what system there was for her excretion. After all, having to be rescued by her brothers _yet_ _again_ was embarrassing enough without wetting herself beforehand. Raph and Mikey would never let her live _that_ down.

The handcuffs around her wrists and ankles were rubbing the skin raw, and the cold stone beneath her was getting less and less comfortable as the seconds, minutes and hours passed. She wished someone was there to entertain her, whether it was Mikey joking around, Raph making fun of her, or even just Donnie babbling some science nonsense to her. In fact, she wouldn't mind Leo's presence, actually; the incident was eating away at her, and she wanted to resolve it. Leo was her partner, and she wasn't willing to give up the relationship they had worked for just because she was too stubborn to ask what happened.

_If he doesn't have a good answer, _then _you can kick his shell, _she thought to herself. A smile crept onto her face, but was quickly wiped away when she heard an all-too-familiar metallic clinking coming down the hall.

The Shredder's silhouette loomed over her as he approached.

* * *

If there was ever a time that Donnie was grateful for the frequent check-ups he gave the Shellraiser, it was as his family piled into it without a second to spare. Now knowing the extent of torture the Shredder would go to, everyone understand that getting Karai back as soon as possible was a priority. From what Leo had said and what they had all seen, the girl was enough of an emotional wreck inside from the _last_ time Shredder got his hands on her; one of these days, she would break, and none of them wanted it to come to that.

As if reading his purple-clad brother's mind, Raph grunted in anger. "And just when she was easing up with us all, too."

"… I know," Mikey finally replied. "It was goin' so well."

"We were really making progress with her," agreed April. "I feel like… like, if…"

"If I hadn't screwed up, everything would have been okay?" Leo asked despondently. "I know."

"Don't blame yourself, man," Casey advised him. "You explained it to us; just explain it to her, and it'll all work out."

"He is right, Leonardo," Splinter assured him. "While I do not agree with the _activities_ you nearly engaged Miwa in," Leo blushed and Splinter smirked, "I know you had no intention to hurt her."

"I really didn't, Sensei," the blue-clad turtle promised. "I-"

"We know, we know, you love 'er; don't make it all sappy, Fearless," Raph interrupted.

With determination in his eyes, Leo turned back to the road. "Fine. Let's just get her home."

A silence descended upon the group as Leo drove. Everyone was mulling over the possible outcomes of the mission. April was hit with the staggering idea that she may really never see her father again this time. Casey wondered what would happen to Angel if he didn't make it back, since his own father was often away on business. Raph, Mikey and Donnie pondered about if they would ever get their big sister back. Leo didn't allow him to think of anything other than driving.

Splinter, on the other hand, was thinking of something very different. Though he worried of his family's fate, he was also worried about the task he had to complete himself to end this once and for all. If he was unable to for any reason, then Leonardo would finish the job. But one way or another, the plan had to happen.

Tonight, Hamato Yoshi would finally kill Oroku Saki. Or die trying.

* * *

**I figured there was no way Splinter would let a younger child with no training join a battle in which he intends to kill someone *shrugs* Also, sorry for spelling 'kunoichi' completely wrong all of last chapter :')**

**Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. We're getting close to the end now, guys...**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. Also, nearly the end of the story, guys... Don't whether I'm happy or not about that...**

* * *

Apparently years of being hated had made the Shredder immune to death glares, because the one Karai was directing at him had no effect. It didn't deter him at all, even, as he unlocked the cell and crouched beside her.

"My daughter..." His armoured hand stroked her cheek, then gently unhooked the mask around her mouth as he leaned in. Karai lay frozen, letting him get closer and closer-

"Aargh!"

-before she spat into his good eye.

"I told you: I'm not your daughter!" she snapped. "I belong with the Hamato Clan, and nothing you do or say will ever change that!"

He slapped her hard across the face. "Unappreciative child. I took you in, raised you, cared for you-"

"Cared for me?! You abused me and took advantage of me!" Karai glared up at him. "And I'm not a child; I'll be eighteen in two weeks. Though you forgetting my birthday wouldn't be anything new. You know, my _family_ would never forget it - in fact, just yesterday Michelangelo was trying to make me write out a list of what gifts I wanted so they could try and find them for me."

"Material possessions are worthless, Karai."

"I never said I would've asked for material possessions. _Especially_ not from Leonardo."

He growled lowly and Karai tensed for another blow, a rebellious smirk curving her lips. To her surprise, none came. Instead, Shredder left them in a stale silence for several long minutes, until finally, "... I could never forget your birthday."

Despite the colossal loss of respect she had experienced in regards to Oroku Saki, an old, childhood hope for affection flared inside her. "You couldn't?"

"No," he answered slowly, "for the day you were born was the day I..."

"Yes?" she prompted impatiently.

"The day I swore to take all Hamato Yoshi had from him!"

An involuntary cry of disappointment ripped through the girl before him. Over seventeen years on, and the sting of coming second to revenge still didn't hurt any less. However, Karai had too much pride in herself to weep in front of him. "... My mother would be ashamed of you."

His response was his palm striking her cheek again as the heel of his fist slammed into her stomach with so much force she thought she might vomit. Still, she gasped out, "Hate you! She'd hate you as much as I do!"

In spite of Shredder's continued assault, Karai shouted furiously at him until she didn't have enough breath, and which point she simply endured his wrath in silence. She squeezed her eyes shut and imagined herself in Splinter's dojo, sparring with an angry Raphael. For some reason this thought comforted her, so when she inevitably blacked out, it was to the warming falsehood that Donatello would be along soon to treat her injuries and give her a mug of tea like usual.

* * *

The exterior of Shredder's lair was lined with Foot-Bots, each scanning the area for danger. One stationed on the roof detected a flicker of movement in the road, but when it whipped its head around to look, there was nothing to be seen. What the robot didn't realise was that there had indeed been movement, it was just cleverly disguised. What looked like a slab of moving asphalt slid into an alleyway, then latched itself into the large van concealed within. As the Stealth Bike attached fully to the Shellraiser, Raph emerged and relayed the status of the security.

"They are all robotic?" Splinter inquired.

"Hai, Sensei," the red-clad turtle confirmed. "They normally are nowadays."

"Then we need not worry about holding back. Is everybody ready?"

"Hai, Sensei!"

"And is everybody clear on the plan?"

"Hai, Sensei!"

"_Michelangelo?_"

"Hai, Sensei," he whined, before hesitating and hastily adding, "but you might wanna run it out again real quick 'cause I don't think Casey got it."

"Hey, I get it just fine!"

"We will dispose of the robots on guard together as swiftly and efficiently as possible - remember, we do not want to cause a scene, so take the battle inside at the first chance we get." He went on to explain, "No doubt this will alert the other members of Shredder's circle; Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo and Casey will take care of them, while April uses her powers to help Leonardo and I find Miwa and the Shredder."

"What if they're not together, Sensei?" asked April.

"In that case, you would tell me where Shredder is, then go after Miwa with Leonardo."

"You can't find Shredder alone, Sensei," protested Leo.

"And I'll have Kar- uh, Miwa there to help me if I get in trouble," April added, before clarifying, "For your peace of mind, not 'cause I think I'm gonna _need_ help." When Splinter still didn't seem convinced, she finished with, "Besides, if anything goes wrong I'll call one of the guys; I have my T-Phone."

"... Very well," he relented. "Please, remember to be careful, all of you."

"Yes, Master Splinter," they promised in unison.

"... You will too, right Sensei?"

Splinter's eyes softened. "Yes, Michelangelo. I will be careful too."

A moment of seriousness fell, each turtle's eyes turning white.

Leo frowned dangerously. "Let's go."

* * *

However, there was one stage quite early on in the plan that hadn't been fool-proofed.

Donatello had discovered a long time ago that being an inventor while living with three brothers often meant that prototypes and models were destroyed (especially when one of said brothers was Mikey). This led him to keep at least one secret, up-to-date copy of anything that was small enough for him to do so, and just detailed blueprints for anything too big. T-Phones weren't too big, and since they were so liable to break or self-destruct, Donnie had a small stash of them in his lab. A stash that was left in relatively plain view in case one of his siblings needed one in a hurry. A stash that Casey had casually mentioned once when he came home with a totalled phone. A stash that a black-gloved hand reached into and lessened by one.

Since it was out of action, there wasn't a passcode or anything personal on the device. Just the bare essentials programmed into a T-Phone: links to call the others on the network (with an emergency dial for the Cheese Phone), a camera, an Internet link, a bare music section, and a tracker. The tracker was coded, but Donnie had written the code in a notebook on his desk, so it wasn't hard to crack. As the device configured and a selection of colourful dots began blinking on the screen's map of New York, Angel smiled.

* * *

Foot-Bots may be adaptive, but in the Turtles' opinions, no matter how much they copied, they still fell just as hard.

"Dudes, you'd think Shred-Head would have these upgraded by now!" stated Mikey, snapping one of the robot's head off with his nunchaku.

"We banished the Kraang, remember?" Donnie reminded him. "There's only Stockman to work on the tech, and his focus is probably still retromutagen." He stabbed his naginata blade through another robot.

"Do not get overconfident, my sons," Splinter reprimanded. Though in all honesty, even he had to admit that the Foot-Bots seemed to be ridiculously easy opponents. _Surely Saki has something else planned..._

"Goongala!" cheered Casey as he whipped past on his skates, swinging his hockey stick side-to-side down a column of robots. Rapidly, they caught on to his strategy, and one seized the stick, twisted it, and jabbed it into Casey's stomach in one fluid movement. The boy was winded, allowing the robot to rip the hockey stick from his grasp and whack him over the head.

"Casey!" April cried, but her voice sounded far away. He wobbled on his skates as he struggled to regain focus.

A battle cry rang out over his head, and suddenly Raph was beside him, with Foot-Bots falling left, right and centre. Drawing a baseball bat, Casey chuckled sheepishly. "Thanks?"

"Focus, dimwit!"

Meanwhile, the Foot-Bot in possession of Casey's hockey stick had decided to take advantage of the new weapon, and was skilfully hitting debris at the Hamatos. April, who was thoroughly preoccupied with slicing her tessen through a robot's exposed circuitry, failed to notice the chunk of stone sailing towards her until it was too late. The rock connected with her temple with a sickening smack, and she was out cold before she even knew what hit her.

A few robots advanced on her, but were soon dispatched by twin katana blades. "Stay away from her!" Leo positioned himself between April and the robots, knowing that Shredder likely didn't programme them to take prisoners this time.

Mikey landed from a backflip beside him. "I'm taking back that upgrade comment; these guys totally just upped the difficulty!"

"Combat isn't a video game, Mikey," chided Leo, swiping both blades through a robot in an 'X'.

There seemed to be an infinite supply of the robots, at least two for each one they cut down. Leo had to give Mikey credit; his joke about the difficulty didn't actually seem to be far wrong. They swarmed the clan like insects, surrounding them in a whir of machinery.

"Hey Fearless, got a plan?" called Raph.

Leo didn't reply, because no, they didn't. They hadn't anticipated this much trouble with the Foot-Bots, and they hadn't anticipated anyone being knocked out of the fight - and the fact that April had been taken down was even worse, because now they had no way of finding Karai other than flat-out searching the place, which they would never have time to do.

Donnie's voice broke the leader from his thoughts. "Where are they coming from?"

"I don't know, bro!"

"No, really, can anyone see where they're coming from?"

Despite not knowing the objective, everyone began to search. Finally, Casey managed to catch a glimpse of their entrance. It was a room with no door, veiled in a sheet of shadow, and he only just caught sight of it in the sparks of an explosive puck. "Over there, Don! In that corner!"

It took a few moments, but soon he could spot it. "Okay..." Donnie was nervous. This was a last-reserve kind of plan; if all else failed. Just the sound of it would attract Shred-Head's inner circle, let alone the physical effects. Though, it was better than nothing, so the turtle pulled out a small, wrapped package from his belt. The only problem was that Donnie couldn't throw that far. "Raph, catch! But be careful!"

The red-clad turtle caught the object with ease. "What the heck is this?"

"Just press the red button and throw it into that room!"

Seeing no reason why not to, Raph did just that. At first, the only change was an incredibly annoying beeping. Then, an almighty crash and a flash of white light and heat, and a mushroom cloud of thick grey smoke billowed out from the now-devastated room, as red lights flashed and an alarm blared.

For a second, all were stunned, before:

"You made me catch a goddamn bomb and didn't tell me?!" yelled Raph irately.

The remaining Foot-Bots had been halted by the explosion, but were now recovering. "Take these robots down!" ordered Splinter, snapping his clan back into action.

The battle was a lot easier without the Foot-Bots flooding back in as they took them down, and soon enough the ground was littered with robotic parts. By this time, Shredder's henchmen had indeed begun arriving, armed and determined, but to the team's relief, the incessant noise of the alarm had awoken April.

"Man, my head..." she groaned. "Why is my alarm going off? I don't have school today..."

"Wake up," Leo instructed coolly. "A Foot-Bot knocked you out. Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Think so."

"Not for long," sneered Fishface, from across the room.

Growing frantic, Leo turned back to April, "Can you sense her?"

Ignoring the pounding in her head, the redhead pressed her fingers to her temples and concentrated. The faintest glimmer of Karai's aura shone through, and April struggled to pinpoint it. "Got her... She's... She's above us... Like, a lot above us... I can't tell by how many floors."

"So she's not in the dungeon," Leo muttered, but his musing was cut off as Shredder's hench-mutants attacked. He readied his katana, but Raph shook his head.

"Follow the plan," he urged. "Get 'er so we can get out!"

He was torn, but there wasn't time for hesitation. Leo grabbed April's arm and ran, Splinter joining them quickly.

Tiger Claw appeared before them, laser guns pointed towards them. "Where do you think you are going?"

Leo was formulating a smart response, when Splinter launched himself at the tiger with a cry of anger. Fighting with the desperation of a father trying to recover his missing child, Splinter attacked the other mutant relentlessly, switching between perfected ninjutsu and defensive techniques of a rat to throw Tiger Claw off-course, twisting and writhing to avoid the laser beams fired at him. A well-aimed jab to a sensitive pressure point sent the powerful creature to his knees, and Splinter called, "Go, find her!"

April was about to protest, but Leo was already dragging her away. "C'mon, Sensei can hold his own."

Seeing their retreat, Tiger Claw growled. "No!"

He fired a succession of beams at them, but Leo wrapped an arm around April and shot his grappling hook at the ceiling. They flew into the air just as the beams would have reached them. Once April had a good hold on his shell, Leo threw a shuriken into a glass window to break it, and ushered her through rapidly. They squashed themselves into an alcove in a wall, Leo's shell scraping against the edge.

"Is she any clearer now?" he pressed.

April concentrated hard, her lips pursing. "Kinda... Not so much clearer, but a little stronger... Like we're getting a little closer to her."

"Can you get any gauge on the distance?" Leo prompted. "We can't exactly stroll around this place seeing how the strength changes."

She sighed. "I... I don't know..." Suddenly there was a rush of energy, and April would have gasped aloud if Leo's hand hadn't covered her mouth.

"What is it?" he whispered.

"It just got a lot less fuzzy," she explained. "Maybe Karai was unconscious or something before."

"Is the location any better?"

"A bit. I'd say at least a good four floors up- How tall is this building?"

"Not sure," Leo admitted. "I guess we should just try and find a staircase."

The turtle moved to squeeze free, but April gripped his arm. "Wait, what about Master Splinter?"

Leo smirked. "Don't worry about him, he'll catch up in no time; our family has a knack for finding our way to trouble."

* * *

**TBC next time :)**

**Thank you for reading this chapter, and I really hope you enjoyed it; action scenes aren't my forte, so any feedback is much appreciated. See you next week xD**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: No, I have not acquired the rights to TMNT within the past week *eyeroll***

* * *

When Karai finally came to, she found herself wondering why she was lying floor-level; did one of her brothers break her bed-frame or something? Of course, it didn't take long for the horrible realisation to hit: This wasn't her bed. Or even her place of residence, any more.

She moved to sit up, then noticed the ties around her wrists and ankles. Since Japanese beds didn't have frames like Western ones, the ties were attached to weights rooted into the floor to hold her in place. Surveying her surroundings as best she could, Karai recognised the room despite only having entered it a handful of times before. She was in the Shredder's personal sleeping quarters. Which could only be a bad, bad sign.

"Well, I'm screwed," she sighed to herself, before shaking her head. He wasn't going to win this time. This time, her family knew what he would do, and they'd be here as soon as they could.

As the door clicked, Karai could only hope that 'as soon as they could' was pretty damn soon.

* * *

Eyes white, Leo peered out of their alcove momentarily, before quickly ducking his head back inside when he heard a buzzing.

"Why do I always get the boring jobs?" Stockman mumbled miserably to himself. "Stockman, do this, Stockman, do that. Stockman, scout for intruders that are obviously already inside by now!"

As the fly mutant continued ranting, Leo gestured to April, then the end of the corridor, where there was an elevator. She gave him a confused motion in the fly's direction and pointe to her eyes, and he produced a smoke bomb in response. She grinned deviously.

After manoeuvring his shell for a quick escape, Leo pitched the smoke bomb right into Stockman's face. As the cloud of smoke erupted, the mutant shrieked, "Ow, my eyes!_ I wish I had less eyes!_"

Meanwhile, Leo and April slipped past in his distraction, camouflaging themselves in the corridor's shadowy corners.

Once the smoke had cleared enough for him to see, Stockman groaned in annoyance. "Aw, _great!_"

April tried to meet Leo's gaze, but he was focused entirely on the mission. Still watching Stockman, he crouched to pick up a small stone from the floor, then threw it down another corridor. Hearing the clatter, Stockman quickly flew after it.

As soon as he was out of sight, Leo pressed the button on the elevator. It seemed to take forever, but soon it opened silently. Leo shoved April inside before following.

"Which floor?" he whispered.

She winced as she tried to concentrate, before a stab of fear hit her gut. April frowned; the emotion wasn't hers. "Top floor... and hurry, she's scared."

He pushed the highest button on the control panel, and they began their ascent. Unfortunately, the ride was equally as quiet as the elevator itself, so April felt awkward breaching the silence. "So, uhm…" She swallowed. "Strangely easily-accessible elevator for a secret lair."

"Donnie put a hacking app on my phone."

"… Ah."

Leo made no sound for a few minutes, before suddenly blurting, "Is he with her?"

April didn't need her powers to answer his question, but she used them anyway. "Yeah. Sorry, Leo."

"I'm not the one to worry about."

"… Yeah, but we'll help her, Leo. Don't worry."

The redhead knew as soon as she said it that she had jinxed them, which was confirmed when the elevator suddenly shuddered to a halt. All light in the contraption disappeared, and April grabbed Leo's arm for comfort.

The turtle sighed. "Nice…"

"Oops."

"Stockman must've seen us and stopped the elevator," he theorised. "Let's find a way out before they gas us or something."

Since they were searching such a small space, April soon looked up and saw a panel in the ceiling that was slightly discoloured. "Hey… Reckon we could get that panel off?"

Following her gaze, Leo hummed thoughtfully. "Worth a shot."

* * *

_Shiiing!__  
_  
Karai squeezed her eyes shut as a metal gauntlet extended towards her. She had wondered how much it would take to push Shredder over the edge into blind fury, and apparently she had reached that point. Fear curled in her stomach, but at no point did she regret telling him that Shen would have chosen death over life with him any day. The best part was she hadn't even needed to lie.

As she heard the sound of ripping fabric, she opened one eye tentatively. A chill shuddered through her, but she didn't know whether it was from anticipation or the wide slash in her jumpsuit. The tear travelled from the neck of the garment down to her hips in a straight line. The blade thankfully hadn't caught her skin or underwear, but she still felt naked; like he was staring straight through her.

As his lips parted, she prepared herself for a lewd comment, or some insulting comment about her mother. Instead, however, he hissed out, "What is _that?_"

With a start, Karai realised he was staring at her neck, where a red sakura blossom pendant had lay for several months now. She smiled. "Master Splinter gave it to me, to remind me that he loves me."

Shredder huffed. "How dare you wear that in my presence, and how dare you address him as 'Master'?!"

"Well, he's my father and _sensei_," Karai answered confidently. "And I wasn't planning on _ever_ _being_ in your presence again, so that one's on you."

He smacked her across the face, but she just grinned at him. That is, until he cupped her cheek in his hand. "Oh, my child… How that vile _rat_ has corrupted you…"

"That rat is my father, and I love him!" she snapped.

The sociopathic man shook his head. "He has changed you, broken you… but you can be fixed. You will be fixed."

"Don't touch me," she spat, but he ignored her, advancing slowly but steadily. The kunoichi swore in her head, straining to lean further away from him but being hindered by the futon underneath her.

Shredder loomed over her, unbelievably close. He unclipped his faceplate and discarded it, his breath ghosting over her lips as he murmured, "Shen…"

Just as he was about to meet her lips, a smoke bomb sailed towards him and slipped through one of the helmet's eye-holes. Purple smoke poured out as he coughed and spluttered, lifting the kabuto to air it out. A battle cry alerted him to the weight about to slam into him. As he had been vulnerable, the impact knocked him off-balance and away from the bed.

Karai blinked in shock. "An_gel?!_"

The girl wasted no time in leaning over her to cut the ties around her wrists. "Hi."

"How are you here?" she exclaimed, sitting up.

Angel shrugged. "Blind chaos is a good cover." She cut the ties around her friend's ankles.

"But-"

Whatever she planned to say was forgotten when Shredder rose. With his back to them, he extended his gauntlets.

"Don't worry, Rai-Rai," Angel said assuredly as she stepped between her friend and her enemy, seeming incredibly like Casey, "I'm here, and I won't let him-"

Angel didn't comprehend that Shredder had struck her until she collided with the far wall, a sharp pain in her forehead.

Karai wanted to scream but her throat was dry. There were three long, bloody gashes curving along her forehead and down the side of her face. Thank goodness none of the blades caught her eye. It was a head wound; head wounds usually looked worse than they were. Karai knew this, but it was the last thought in her mind as she watched red mix with purple and pool beneath Angel's head.

Pure fury pushed the kunoichi to her feet. She had no weapon, but that wouldn't stop her trying to fight. "You're going to regret that."

Shredder refastened his faceplate. "You are making me do this, daughter."

She snarled. "Do I really need to say it _again?_"

The kunoichi lunged for him, planning to go for one of the pressure points Splinter had been teaching her. Shredder saw this coming, however, and seized her arm, twisting it at an awkward angle behind her head. Since she was pressed up to him, he punched her roughly in the stomach. She doubled over and he elbowed the middle of her back firmly.

"Did you really think you could fight me?" Shredder asked as he held her forcefully in place.

As he moved closer to whisper in her ear, Karai jabbed him in the throat. Though to her dismay, Shredder merely coughed, his hold not loosening at all. In retaliation, he sliced three long cuts across her bare stomach, and she choked back a shriek. A metallic fist connected with her nose, and as a sickening crunch rang out, Karai understood how lucky she had been when Raph only fractured it.

Panicking and confused, Karai tried to go for his throat again, which he easily saw coming. He caught her arm and twisted it behind her head alongside her other one. "When will you learn that you cannot beat me?" he sighed to himself. "I suppose I will have to reinforce the lesson again…"

* * *

With Tiger Claw incapacitated for the moment due to pressure points, Splinter quickly scaled the wall and slipped through the same gap Leo and April had exited through, knowing his sons and Casey could handle the battle alone for now.

Seeing the dismantled control panel for the elevator, Splinter resorted to prising the doors apart with brute force and leaping onto the elevator cable. Moving nimbly and swiftly, he climbed up the elevator cable until he saw the elevator itself suspended halfway up. A hunch setting in, Splinter switched to climbing the side of the elevator shaft, until he spied a head of red hair poking out of the elevator's top.

Once she saw him, April gasped. "Master Splinter!"

She was suddenly boosted up, and grasped the cable for support as she lifted herself through the small opening. The girl reached back down, presumably for Leonardo, but clearly struggled to lift his muscular frame with her slimmer one. Splinter joined her atop the elevator and took his son's hands, hauling the turtle off his feet and through the opening enough for him to grab the cable.

As the blue-clad turtle pulled himself up, he smirked at his father. "Thank you, Sensei."

"Come; the danger has not passed yet."

The trio scaled the elevator shaft, until April confirmed that they were at the right door. Leo helped Splinter push the doors open, then held an arm out to catch her if she slipped as she clambered through the gap. Leo and Splinter followed her down the hall, all three in what April had long ago nicknamed 'Ninja Mode'.

However, the room turned out to be surprisingly easy to find, since Karai's screaming echoed down the corridor. As they stealthily advanced, something slammed into the double doors at the end of the hall with a slam, and one door creaked open slightly. Splinter, being the most level-headed, peered through the gap, and his blood boiled at the sight.

"Leave me alone..." Karai whimpered. She was battered and bloody, her jumpsuit was ripped wide open, and she was visibly straining to clamp her legs together. The Shredder had her pressed against the wall, and to Splinter's horror, the man reached forward and tore away Karai's underwear.

"No!" he yelled as he burst through the doors, swinging a polished sword at the man he once called brother. Level-headedness be damned. His daughter was at risk, and there was no way he would let her be abused again.

Karai gasped as she saw him. "Father!"

Splinter tackled the Shredder away from her, slashing furiously with his sword. Leo and April rushed in, the latter dashing to Angel's side as soon as she spotted the unconscious girl. Leo, however, was ready to leap into the battle and help his sensei, but a heartbroken squeak of protest from Karai had him gathering her into his arms and kissing her.

"I'm so, so, so sorry!" he murmured into her lips. She didn't say anything, she just kissed him back with all of the energy she had left.

Hearing a cry of pain from Splinter as Shredder sliced his leg, Leo cupped her face and looked her in the eye. "Karai, just stay here, okay? I have to help Father."

"I'll-" she began, but as she tried to step forward she fell against him.

He shook his head and sat her down by the door, just in case she needed to run. "Stay there, _please_."

As Leo turned to attack, he realised with a sinking feeling that April had rushed in to help while Splinter was down. She swung her tessen like a frisbee, hitting the side of Shredder's helmet but doing no damage. The redhead caught her weapon and ran at her opponent, hoping to catch the small amount of flesh he had exposed. Karai seemed to have gotten a few good hits in, since he was bleeding and his left arm didn't seem to be hitting as hard. This didn't register to April when he twisted her arm and punched her in the face, though.

"Foolish girl," he taunted. He scraped a gauntlet down April's side, and she screamed. The cuts were long and blessedly shallow, but April still found her system badly shaken. A series of rapid punches had her slumping to the floor, only just able to crawl away.

In retaliation, Leo and Splinter charged the Shredder in unison. Leo occupied Shredder's arms with a dual-strike, while Splinter used controlled, deliberate strikes to hit several pressure points. This knocked Shredder's guard down momentarily, and father and son took that moment to attack. Shredder recovered quickly though, and sent a precise and forceful kick to Leo's knee. The knee that had taken months healing at April's farmhouse, and was still a weak point to this day. Leo dropped instantly as familiar pain ripped through his leg, a cry slipping free before he could stop it. Shredder raised a gauntlet above him, but Splinter blocked the swing and shoved him back.

The two fought viciously, each determined that this would be the end of their rivalry, one way or another. Both had trained in Ninjutsu for almost all of their lives, and Splinter felt a brief pang of longing for the boy he had trained with, grew up beside. Then he took one glance behind him at the damaged members of his clan - children, they were just children - and that longing was gone as quickly as it came. Seeing no progress with traditional techniques, Splinter found himself reverting into rat-like combat, which Shredder struggled to adapt to. Splinter's main intention was to finish the Shredder, but also to keep him away from the clan members that were already out of the battle.

Although, Leonardo didn't seem to be counting himself out just yet. Despite his re-injured leg, the turtle was inching towards the battle, one katana braced for battle, the other dragging his body along the floor. He swiped his free blade at Shredder's leg as he used the other to push himself up, but the armoured man merely spun and kicked the turtle in the centre of his plastron, sending him skidding across the room on his carapace. A wounded April shuffled towards him.

"Now, where were we?" Shredder said darkly as he turned back to Splinter. His opponent was not focused on him, however, and had a look of sheer terror in his eyes.

Shredder looked back to see Karai trying to run at him, wielding one of Leonardo's katana blades. Unimpressed, he waiting until she launched herself forward, then seized her ankle and slung her to the ground on her back like a rag-doll. She choked back a cry of pain. Splinter watched in disgust and anger as lust entered Shredder's eyes, and as he watched his enemy drag his partially-unclothed daughter closer, his vision turned red.

"You will never harm my family again!"

Splinter leapt at his rival, jabbing his wrist to make him release Karai before his momentum sent them both backwards. Then, as three shocked pairs of eyes observed, Hamato Yoshi slit Oroku Saki's throat.

After seeing his former friend and worst enemy's eyes fall shut forever, Splinter glanced around at his family, panting for breath. They too seemed breathless, but it was more due to what they had witnessed than their battle. Understanding that it must have been a chilling experience for them, he fought for the courage to face his daughter. Karai's eyes were wide and glassy, and she looked as if she wanted to cry, cheer and throw up all at the same time. She settled for the latter, jerking to the side and emptying her stomach onto the worn floor.

Sighing to himself, Splinter addressed the room, "Come, my family. The fight is over."

* * *

**So the Hamatos' war with Saki is finally over. Next chapter may be the last, guys.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and didn't find the action too terribly written *smiles sheepishly* Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next week :)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Also I know it's late, shush, I've been ill.**

* * *

Victorious though they were, the Hamato clan did not leave Shredder's lair unscathed. In fact, they piled into the Shellraiser as a crowd of blood, bruises, breaks and concern.

Since Leo wasn't fit to drive, Raph took over as Donnie started playing doctor. The red-clad turtle was, due to his pragmatic nature, littered with cuts and bruises, but he had insisted that Donnie should take care of the others first. He had been especially worried about Mikey; the youngest had sustained a lot of damage to his left arm when Rahzar wrapped the turtle's kusarigama chain around it and twisted. Raph feared his brother's arm was broken, and almost ripped off the van's steering wheel when Donnie confirmed it.

"It's not a bad break," Donnie assured his little brother. "As long as you don't aggravate it, it'll heal as good as new."

He set Mikey's arm, then Karai's nose. He winced. "Yeah, this is a lot worse than last time. Sorry, this is gonna hurt..." Karai gasped as he quickly adjusted her crooked nose. "Sorry! Oh man, some of these cuts don't look so good either... Hang on, I'll get some antibacterial spray..."

Karai shivered despite the blanket she was bundled in, and Leo thought she was going to cry again. She had cried the whole way out of the building. Sighing, Leo turned back to his father. Splinter, like Raph, had refused to be treated until the rest of his family had been, so was currently assessing Leo's injured knee. After several painful extensions and some prodding, the turtle was relieved to hear, "I do not think there is any permanent damage, Leonardo. It is an old pain; it will be tender for a week or two, but with rest, it will pass."

"Thanks, Sensei," Leo replied gratefully. His gaze coasted over to Karai again and he frowned. "Do you think _her_ old pain will pass?"

Splinter exhaled slowly. "She called that man 'father' for sixteen years, my son. This must be hard for her to take in. She too will need much rest to heal. Though I am certain that with enough time and enough support... Miwa will be fine."

Leo nodded in agreement as his father set his leg in a temporary splint, just in case. Once that was done, he used the walls of the Shellraiser to aid him across the vehicle, then enfolded Karai in his arms. "How're you doing?" he murmured kindly to her, and her façade shattered before his eyes. She leant into him and just wept. After a few moments, she moved to climb into his lap for a closer proximity, but Leo winced and shifted her weight. "Ow, okay, not that knee, Kiba. Shh, it's fine, don't worry. Just stay there, okay?"

Eventually, Karai settled down, nuzzling into Leo's plastron. Donnie awkwardly coughed for his brother's attention. "She's just about done. I had to give those cuts on her stomach a few stiches, but they'll heal up fine."

"Thanks, Don." Leo smiled at his brother, before shuffling himself and Karai aside so Casey could bring Angel over.

The vigilante had scooped his little sister up into his arms the second he saw her (even though April had managed to awaken her by then, and she was walking fine on her own) and had been examining her head in the corner while Donnie worked. She also needed stitches, but was much more excited about them than Karai had been; several of Casey's past injuries had required stitches, and Angel had always been jealous.

As Donnie reached for the skin-coloured thread, Angel interrupted, "Hey, do you think you could do it in a different colour? Like that dark green, please? It'll make sense, since I'm getting them from a turtle."

Donnie frowned. "Won't your dad be worried that you got hurt? Or confused that the hospital gave you green stitches?"

Angel pouted, eyes wide. "_Please?_"

"Don't worry, Don," Casey interjected, "I'll tell Dad I took her out on my skateboard and she fell. He'll know she chose the coloured thread."

Relenting, Donnie agreed. He numbed the cut with an injected anaesthetic, flushed it with saline, and cleaned the area around the cut with an antibacterial liquid. He stitched the wound shut and coated it in an antibiotic ointment before wrapping it in a bandage.

"Well done, Angel; you didn't freak out at all!" he congratulated her.

"Of course not, this is so cool!" she giggled.

He patted her shoulder. "You'll need to come down to the lair in a week and get them removed though, okay?"

"Okay… As long as it scars." She winked teasingly at him.

"Alright, alright, move along." Donnie ushered her aside as April took her place.

Luckily for the Hamato Clan, the Foot had dissolved into chaos and disorder as soon as Shredder's body was discovered, so they had no pursuers as Raph speedily drove them home. As Donnie worked, Leo glanced down at the girl in his arms. She had been broken so many times, and he feared that this time, they wouldn't be able to fix her.

However, his fears did not come true. While Karai was undeniably damaged, she was healing.

She slept a lot, spending almost the entirety of the first few days in her room, only leaving to use the bathroom. Leo - or, when Leo was actually up and about, Raph - spent a lot of his time keeping her company. Mikey made it his responsibility to ensure that she ate enough, and Donnie made sure that she drank enough water, which was quite difficult with how much she cried.

That was the weirdest part for them all, seeing her cry so much. It wasn't even mourning, they were sure - and they were right, it wasn't, really. But clearly Oroku Saki's demise had unbalanced her, as had the fact that it came at Hamato Yoshi's hands. This was evident in the way she folded in on herself any time Splinter came near her, as if she just couldn't face the last stage of eradicating Shredder from their lives. The celebrations the other teens expected never came to pass, since they were all so caught up trying to help Karai recover.

To the clan's utter relief, she was doing so, if incredibly slowly. After the first few days, Leo managed to get her out into the living area for a whole day, and the day after she agreed to share a pot of tea with her father while her brothers patrolled. It was slow, but she was healing.

She was almost back to normal by the end of the week, and excitement filtered back into the lair again as her birthday became the topic of conversation. For the first time in her life, she was actually looking forward to her birthday. Her brothers still never got an answer in regard to what gifts she wanted, though - she couldn't think of anything she really wanted that she didn't already have.

The night before her special day, Karai was sat cross-legged on her bed, with the duvet pulled right up to her neck. Leo soon entered, and chuckled at her. "Chilly?"

"A little." She wasn't lying; it was December, and Donnie's home-made central heating could only do so much.

Leo extended his arms. "C'mere then, and I'll warm you up."

She shook her head. "You come here."

Rolling his deep blue eyes at her, he obeyed, sitting on the edge of her bed and holding his arms out again. Taking care not to let the duvet slip, Karai shuffled forward until she was buried in his hug. The hug didn't last long, though. As soon as Leo's arms touched her back, they jerked away and he gawped at her. In response, she dropped the duvet, and his eyes widened even more at her alabaster flesh.

Karai moved into a kneeling position so he had the best view possible, but he wouldn't look at her. "I'm ready, Leo."

This time it was him shaking his head. "I'm not sure you are, Rai," he told her. "Are you sure it's not just the Shredder thing messing with your head?"

"I'm sure," she promised. "I've been thinking it through for days, and I'll admit, it has something to do with him. When he was... well, you know, you save what he was going to do to me-"

"Don't remind me," he said quickly, subconsciously reaching for her hand.

She let him take it and continued, "Well, when he was... when he was doing that, all I could think about was... _you_ and how I'd have felt if... if you were there, and... doing that..."

He swallowed hesitantly, stroking her hand. "And how would you have felt if it was me?"

"Nothing," she answered, "because I realised it wouldn't be. I realised that if you wanted intercourse, you would sit down calmly with me and ask my opinion, then wait patiently until I told you I was ready." Karai smiled. "And that's how I knew that I was."

Leo paused, before nervously leaning forward to kiss her. She kissed him back eagerly. When they had to break for air, he glanced over her and whispered, "Karai, you're so beautiful." She shook her head and began to protest, but he silenced her with another kiss. "You _are_. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

This time, it was her initiating the shut-up kiss. "I'm serious, stop it."

"Why should I?" Leo challenged. "You're my partner and I want you to know how perfect you are for me."

Karai was quiet, before admitting, "If anyone in this relationship is perfect, it's you."

Before he could argue and ruin the moment, Karai kissed him passionately. He complied, and the kiss escalated. When Leo let his lips slip down to her neck, then her chest, Karai rolled him onto his carapace and straddled him.

"Are we really doing this?"

Karai could see the desire in his eyes beneath the worry. "I guess we are."

* * *

In their afterglow, Karai sighed blissfully. Leo had been wonderful, even more than she could have imagined. He had been determined to satisfy her, holding off his own ecstasy until she reached her own, and after their union, he couldn't even lift his head.

The turtle still lay beneath her, panting. "Whoa..." he breathed. "That was... Wow..."

She laughed lightly. "That's a pretty good description..."

"I love you, Karai," he murmured, stretching his arms up to her. "Thank you for sharing yourself with me."

Taking his hands, she slid down onto the bed beside him. "Thank you for allowing me." Karai knew they still needed to turn off the lights, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Instead, she curled into Leo's side and whispered, "Thank you for showing me..."

"Showing you what?" Leo prompted, expecting a playful, flirty answer.

To his surprise, the girl beside him kissed his cheek and nestled close. "Showing me why it's called 'making love'. I've never understood that until now."

Leo froze, and she caught the hopeful light in his eyes before he snuffed it out. "Yes, Leo, you heard me right. We made love." Karai tucked her head into the crook of his neck. "I love you, Leonardo."

For a long moment, he was speechless. Then, he managed an, "I love you too, Kiba."

"I noticed," she teased.

Silence descended upon them for so long that she wondered if he had fallen asleep, and smirked at the thought that she had exhausted her warrior so. In fact, she was about to go and turn out the lights when he said softly, "Karai?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for trusting me with that."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I can't think of anything I wouldn't trust you with," she admitted honestly.

Leo pulled her bare body closer, snuggling into her. She assumed he was trying to keep her warm. "I love our partnership..."

"I... I love it, too."

"Karai?"

"_Yes_, Leo?"

"... Can we do this again tomorrow?"

Karai outright giggled at the request. "Sure we can."

"Awesome." The turtle kissed her lips, then her cheek, then her neck, and started to progress down her body.

One thing that had originally surprised her about Leo was how much of a cuddler he turned out to be; he loved physical contact, she had discovered, especially just holding her. It was nice.

Mustering up some energy, Karai grabbed one of her training shoes from the floor and threw it at the light switch. The room plunged into darkness, but Leo continued his ministrations until she lifted him back up to head-height. "Save some of that passion for tomorrow, okay? I want to get some rest."

"Okay," he agreed, embracing her once more. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she replied, kissing him on the cheek before rolling to face away from him. His arms encircled her fully and tucked her against his plastron, and she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

"Happy birthday!"

Karai smiled at her family gathered together in the living area of the lair. She stood at the edge of the room in the black lace dress April had given her so many months ago, her make-up as dramatic as always and her hair twisted to the side and pinned with a black and silver flower clip. A home-made banner was clumsily hung from the ceiling above the turnstiles and small clusters of balloons and streamers were dotted around the area.

Mikey dashed up to her, throwing his good arm around her waist and pulling her close. "You're eighteen, sis!"

She hugged him back and chuckled. "I'm aware, little brother."

"Come open your presents!" he cried excitedly as he dragged her to the couch.

He shoved a ripped envelope into her hand, and when she opened it, her eyes watered. It was a folded piece of paper with a crude family portrait drawn on the front in crayons and the words 'Happy Birthday Karai!' scrawled below it. Each member of her family had written a message inside.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. Then Mikey was pushing a gift wrapped in newspaper onto her lap, and she carefully opened it. It was a small teddy bear with an orange bow around its neck.

The little turtle sat beside her. "I thought he'd help with your nightmares."

She glanced up worriedly. "Mikey, I can't take your bear-"

"Oh, no, it wasn't mine; I saw it in a shop window on patrol and gave April money to get it for me. The bow came from one of my old masks, though."

"Aww, Mikey… thank you." She hugged him again warmly.

As soon as she released him, Raph was throwing something at her. "There ya go, princess." She lifted up the black, glossy helmet and gasped. "For next time you wanna take a joyride on the Stealth Bike. Don was gonna make you your own bike, but-"

"I couldn't find the materials," Donnie explained as he offered her something rectangular, "so I made this instead."

Karai quickly realised that it was an empty photograph frame, made of painted coils of wire intricately woven together. She grinned. "Okay, we need to take a picture for this today."

"Then perhaps my gift to you will link nicely," suggested Splinter, as he offered her a slim box.

She gently opened it, and gasped at the gorgeous black kimono adorned with deep red floral patterns folded inside. The girl eagerly hugged her father, then hurried to change into the garment. When she returned, Angel impatiently presented her with a plastic bag containing a dark brown leather jacket, with a few badges sewn on.

"Since you lost your old one when you-know-who attacked you, Casey and I thought you needed a new one," she explained.

"You can decorate it however you like," Casey added. "We weren't sure what you wanted."

"Well, that makes my gift look super lame," April joked, as she held out Karai's tantõ sheath.

Karai blinked. "Oh. I guess that's why I couldn't find it."

The sheath she used for storing her favourite weapon was no longer plain silver. Now, it had various careful carvings covering it, the most prominent of which being the Hamato Clan logo, though Karai did not miss the turtles, rat, or serpent that were also woven in.

"How did you do this?" she asked.

The redhead laughed. "I used a soldering iron in school. That teacher must think I'm really weird, though."

Lastly, Leo approached her with a little box. April squealed involuntarily at the sight, before clamping her hands over her mouth to shut herself up. The turtle knelt before his partner, offering the box to her as he opened it. Inside was a silver ring with a small black stone.

Karai gave him a warning and worried glance. "Leo…"

Leo suddenly seemed to realise what the situation looked like, and hurriedly shook his head. "Oh, no, no, I wasn't- that wasn't, uh- I'm sorry. No, I wasn't gonna ask… I wasn't gonna ask, honest. I just wanted to, uh, wanted _you_ to- wait- oh man, uhm- Look, it was supposed to be more of, like, a promise ring? Proof of our partnership? If you don't want it, it's fine- Man, I messed this up, uh-"

The rambling turtle was cut off when Karai kissed him on the cheek. "It's lovely, Leo, thank you. As long as you're not expecting too much commitment of me."

"Of course not."

He smiled at her as he slid the ring onto the fourth finger on her right hand, very pointedly ignoring the 'ring finger' on her left. He then lovingly kissed the ring she wore, much to the verbal disgust of their brothers.

When the group began to disperse to get snacks and music, Karai pulled Leo aside and requested that he speak to her, _alone_. Nervously, he agreed and followed.

"So…" Leo began when they were alone in her room.

"Leo, you know from last night that I trust you, right?"

He didn't miss a beat. "Definitely. You know the feeling is mutual, I assume."

"Yes…"

"Then what's the matter?"

"… You never did explain why you did it," she admitted quietly.

Leo winced at the memory of himself overpowering Karai, forcing her to obey his will. He shivered at the thought. "Sorry… I've kind of been blocking it out, if I'm honest."

"Well, can you tell me now? Because… I need to know."

"You deserve to know," he assured her, stroking her cheek, before sighing and dropping his hand. "Y'see… This is going to sound so stupid, but… I've always been the big brother, the older sibling, the protector. For so many years, that was my role in the Hamato Clan. Then…"

"Miwa came back?" Karai guessed, suddenly beginning to understand.

He nodded in admission. "Well, yeah. Don't get me wrong, I love you being here Karai, and I love how you look after our brothers, but I was starting to feel… unnecessary, expendable. Like the team didn't really need me any more because they had you. You could be the leader, you could take charge."

"And you felt threatened by that? Leo, I've never wanted to be the leader. I like being the guys' big sister, but when it comes to it, you're still first in succession for the clan, even if I am a bit older." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I couldn't do it, Leo, and I don't want to. You'll always be our leader."

He grasped her hand lightly. "That was why I got so bossy with you, and why I- well, you know. I was worried that I was losing my place, and that I had to fight to prove that I was in control." Leo scoffed. "It's stupid, really…"

"Yes, it is," Karai conceded. "You should have just talked to me about it."

"Note taken." The turtle smiled. "So, am I forgiven?"

She pecked him on the lips. "What do you think?"

"Should we head back to the party then?" Leo laced their fingers together.

Karai nodded. "I'd like that."

As they exited her room to the shouts of their family and friends, Leo whispered into her ear, "Karai? Are you happy with… well, everything?"

"Maybe not everything," Karai confessed, before sending a glowing smile her partner's way, "but yeah, I'm happy."

* * *

**Whoa... It's finally over. 3,500 words in this chapter... I guess it makes sense that the last one is the longest.**

**I suppose all I can say is thank you so much to anyone who helped support this story, and thank you for sticking through it this long. I'll try not to get all sappy, but... wow... I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the whole of the story, and thank you again for all of the feedback and motivation! XD See you next time, maybe?**

**~ MusicRocks807 xxx**


End file.
